


Finding One's Place

by BrattyAmericat



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-12
Updated: 2014-09-23
Packaged: 2018-01-24 11:29:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 35,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1603544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrattyAmericat/pseuds/BrattyAmericat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just like the rest of the world, the school largely ran according to an unspoken hierarchy, based on one's type. Alphas, of course, ranked the highest on this scale, followed by the Betas, and finally the Omegas, but there was even a 'sort of' rankings among each gender class, and that is where Matthew Williams, a young Alpha, found himself at a loss.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pecking Order

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! Other then a little bit of role-playing, I have never really written anything for the Omegaverse before, but I have been strangely fascinated by it since I first discovered it. So, I figured I might as well give it a shot. Some of the Alpha/Omega ideas I used in the stories are based on things I have read, but I am trying to add my own personal touches and twists to keep it interesting and unique.
> 
> Comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

It was just another Monday morning, only a little over a month into the new school year, and it was looking like it was going to be exactly like the start of every other week since Matt had began to attend high school three years ago. Awkwardly pulling up the hood of his over sized, red sweatshirt to hide among it's folds, the teenager hoped it would help in not drawing attention to himself. 

Just like the rest of the world, the school largely ran according to an unspoken hierarchy, based on one's type. Alphas, of course ranked, the highest on this scale (like always,) followed by the Betas, and finally the Omegas, but there was even a 'sort of' rankings among each gender class, and that is where Matthew Williams, a young Alpha, found himself at a loss. 

Among the Alphas, the strongest, boldest, and most often, loudest, ones ran the school. Next up was their lackeys. Typical Alpha brutes, who had the bark, but not the bite to back it, and tended to sucked up to the 'top dogs' so that they would have their backs in fights. Then there was the last group, the group that Matthew was in. Either physically or mentally weak, and unable to compete with the others of their type, leaving them doom to being the whipping boys of the more dominate groups.

It was a pathetic place for an Alpha just entering his prime to be in, but Matthew had long since accepted his place in the pecking order. 

Still, he was an Alpha, so when the sweet scent of a Omega in delight and open to courtship caught his nose, just like it would have caught the attention of anyone of his type. Even though he had no real intention of pursuing the smell, Matt curiously looked in the direction from which it was coming.

Seeing fellow student, Alfred Jones, confidently flirting with a few of the cute Omega freshman, Matthew felt a wave of envy wash through him. Even if he wasn't interested in those Omegas (or more to the point, they were not interested in him,) it was hard not to feel envious when they were giggling like that, and so eagerly eating up the complements the charismatic blond freely fed them, while he himself, could hardly even say 'good morning' to one, and even when he did manage, never got more then a polite smile in return... but he guessed that was really the most someone of his status could hope for.

Matthew pressed his lips together in a thin line as Alfred flashed his companions a bright smile, and absently pushed his glasses up some as he watched the other blond causally stretch, reaching up to clamp his hands behind his head in a movement that forced his white t-shirt to ride up and show off a hint of well defined abs. He would have thought the gesture innocent, except for the fact that Matt had seen Jones pull off the same shameless move dozen of times before. As expected, the young Omegas pulled out their phones and trade numbers with Alfred. Unable to stand it any longer, Matt turned away in disgust. 

His disgust wasn't directed at Alfred or at the Omegas he had managed to attract, though, but at himself. After all, even if he didn't want to admit it, he was jealous of Alfred Jones, and what kind of Alpha got jealous of an Omega? Even if Alfred wasn't your typical Omega, often being more bold and fierce then the average Alpha, and had a way with his fellow Omegas that even the most popular students had trouble competing with, but still....

'Little sluts.' A darker part of the Canadian, most likely the Alpha part, thought in bitter spite as he thought of the unnatural interaction between the Omegas, but Matt quickly scolded himself. While none of them had ever really paid him any mind, they had never hut him either, so what right did he have to judge them so cruelly? Shaking his head at himself, Matthew shut his locker and let out a long sign as he hugged his books to his chest, silently bemoaning his own position in life.

Caught up in his own thoughts, the lowly Alpha turned... and walked straight into another Alpha, one of a much higher social standings. “Eh? Sorry! Sorry!” Matthew said automatically as he came back to reality, seeing no reason not to apologize since he was at fault, and then clenched his books tighter as the slightly shorter man glowered at him, as if the little bump was some big deal.

While, for some reason, it made sense to Matt to apologize for his mistakes, such an action was often taken as a sign of weakness among Alphas, and picking on someone weaker then themselves was an easy way to earn a higher spot up on the 'food chain.' Gilbert Beilschmidt, in that regard, was your typical Alpha. Cocky, head sure, and eager to prove himself. 

Years ago, during preadolescence, (before any of them had been old enough for their true scents to have developed,) Matthew had suspected the albino boy of have a crush on him, considering how he had followed him around like a lost puppy, but now, it was fairly clear to Matt that he now saw him as nothing more then just another Alpha...more competition and a easy means to an end. Not even 'friend' worthy.

“You got a problem with me, Williams?” Gilbert growled, red eyes narrowed and his scent spiking aggressively, attracting the attention of passing by students, (many of whom stopped to watch,) and the Canadian could help but back up a step. It was obvious that Matt did not 'have a problem with' the other Alpha, but the blond teen bit back his comments and fought his own instinct to growl, instead looking down and cowering slightly. It was something he had quickly learned to do after being put in his place many times over the past few years. 

Despite his submission, Matt internally fumed. 'Really?' He thought what he wish he could say, 'Dozens of people are pushing and shoving their way through the hallway, and you're going to make a big deal out of me bumping into you, you dick?' Of course, the low ranking Alpha would never dare say that aloud. Matthew knew better then to say such a challenging remark, lest he wanted an out right rumble, and honestly, what good would that do anybody? Well, other then giving Gilbert the ability to talk shit about beating someone up again. “Eh?! N-No! Of course not!” He stuttered instead, his pale blue eyes darting about in search of some kind of escape or assistance, but seeing no kind of help in sight, he swallowed, his scent changing to one of unease and fear, which caused a viscous smile to grow on Gilbert's face. “Let's not fi- ....ah!” Matt held up his palms in a gesture of defeat, trying to ease the tension some, but yipped loudly when his attempt to defuse the situation failed and he was suddenly grabbed by the front of his hoodie and slammed him back against the lockers.

Red eyes practically sparkling in delight, it was clear that Gilbert was enjoying his little power play and had no intention of stopping, despite the show of submission. “'Let's not what?' Are you trying to tell me what to do, loser?” Gilbert all but spat, causing a shiver of fear to run down Matthew spine, and a feeling of glee to shot through the aggressor. Intent on making the other Alpha grovel before him, which would undoubtedly increase his own standing and popularity among those who were watching, the albino would have probably continued bullying well into the start of first period, except that his fun was ruined only moments later when a strong hand grabbed the back of his black tee by the collar and ripped him away from the weaker man, practically flinging him through the crowd and back into the wall behind them. Shocked at the unexpected interference, Matthew dropped to the floor once released and watched from where he fell with wide eyes.

“What the hell?!” Was Gilbert responds, as soon as he caught his breath after having the wind knocked from his lungs, and he quickly scrambled to get back to his feet, hoping to save face. Teeth bared and ready for a fight, he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the sandy blonde who stood boldly before him, a cocky, challenging grin on his face. “This has got nothing to do with you, Jones.” The Albino growled, his scent and body language clearly showing his mixed emotions about facing off with the Omega. If he lost a fight to Alfred, the majority of the student body would taunt him for losing to an Omega, but if he won a fight against the other, then he would be shunned for beating up an Omega. It was a lose/lose situation, really. 

Alfred's smile widened, amused at the doubt the Alpha now radiated. “What's wrong, Beilschmidt? Can't even handle an Omega?” He taunted, his own excitement and glee at humiliating one of the school's higher ranked Alphas tainting his own scent, the un-omega like smell throwing Gilbert off even farther. Frankly speaking, Alfred wasn't the easy target Gilbert had been looking for when he had started the fight with Matthew, but with a statement like that, so causally spoken in front of so many people, Omega or not, there was no way the albino could turn away from this fight without looking like a wimp and ruining his reputation. 

Sensing new resolution behind Gilbert's glare, the Omega tensed in anticipation, his own eyes narrowing behind the wire frame of his glasses as he pushed the sleeves of his blue plaid flannel up, out of the way, in preparation for the up coming brawl.  
The hallway grew silent as the Alpha and Omega held eye contact, waiting to see who would make the first move, but the bell then rang, signaling the start of class, and a teacher finally decided to poked his head out into the hallway to see what was keeping everyone. Knowing that establishing a pecking order was an important part of an Alphas development, the staff often allowed minor fights to happen, but it was still no excuse for being late to class. 

 

The crowd dissipated with a few sharp words from the teacher shooing them away, and Alfred and Gilbert shared one last glare before the Alpha finally snorted and turned to leave, using the teacher’s interference as an excuse to back out of the fight without looking bad. The teacher, a larger Beta with long blond hair, then spared one last look at the remaining two student before simply going back into the classroom, knowing that it wasn't worth dealing with Alfred (who most of the staff had given up on by this point,) and allowing the young Alpha some time alone to nurse his wounded pride.

 

Breathing a bit heavy, Alfred watched Gilbert's back until he was out of sight and waited for the teacher to leave before he finally turn to look down at where Matthew had slumped to the floor, curled up and hidden in his over sized shirt. “Hey, you okay?” The omega asked, using the softer, warm tone he saved for his fellow Omegas, and got down to his knees so that he'd be about eye level with the man he had just rescued. 

Matthew blinked in reply, as if he wasn't sure exactly what just had happened, but then flushed bright red as a realization fully hit him. He had just been saved by an Omega in front of who knew how many people! Groaning aloud in his despair, the Canadian Alpha shut his eyes and let his head fall back against his locker with a loud clank. If he had thought his reputation was bad before, he couldn't imagine what he was going to have to put up with when word of this fight got around the school. 'Great. Just great.' He thought to himself. At least if Gilbert had beaten him up, Matt would have gotten some credit for not running away, but to have an Omega save you, well... he might as well just paint a big bull's eye on his face and let all of the Alpha within ten miles line up and take their turn using him as their personal punching bag.

Matt's action startled Alfred, and the Omega quickly shuffled forward, practically crawling into the other's lap in his concerned, and reached up to cup Matt's face between both hands. “Whoa, did he hit you or somethin' before I got here? You got a concussion, maybe?” He asked, and Matthew opened his eyes in surprise at Al's sudden closeness, and was then forced to face his concerned savior face to face, close enough that he could feel the other's breath upon his lips. He hadn't expected his heart stop for a split second before speeding back up twice as fast then normal. 

That wasn't the face of the tough guy who picked fights around the school and flirted endlessly with his own type, but the face of a healthy, young omega with bright blue eyes that were shining with concern, lightly tanned skin that was slightly flushed from effort, and was absolutely gorgeous in every way... Matt wasn't sure how he had missed something so obvious before. And he was sitting in his lap. 'Oh Maple.' Matthew thought and swallowed hard. 

Confused by how the other was acting, the omega breathed in deeply, trying to use the other teen's scent to help determine any sort of injuries as he looked him over. While Alfred hadn't seen anyone hit the stranger, (at least Al assumed he was a stranger, since he was fairly sure he had never seen him before,) as much as Alfred hated to admit it, he had been a little distracted by the man's appearance, and might have missed something. To be perfectly honest, this guy was just Al's type. Even hidden under the hood, Alfred could see blonde hair that curled cutely at the ends and looked soft to the touch, fair skin, and he had a demure personality, meaning he probably was very sweet. True, Alfred typical preferred his love interest to be shorter then him, but he wasn't going to concern himself with such a minor fault...

Alfred's thoughts and concerns came to an abrupt stop and his whole body tensed at a much too familiar smell. With the crowd no longer surrounding them, and the air no longer holding the stink of an aggressive Alpha, only their own scents remained in the hallway, and what he smelled was certainly not the neutral smell of a beta, nor the sweet scent of an omega.

“Holy shit! You're an Alpha?!” Alfred exclaimed, flinging himself away from the other teenager and wrinkling his nose in distaste, as if he had smelled something foul. Matthew couldn't help but feel a little insulted at that.

Pushing himself up to his feet, the Alpha's own nose easily picked up the odd mixture of confused emotions radiating from the Omega at his discovery, and Al's own unease forced Matt's own body to leave off it's own defensive scent, causing the omega to furrow his brow and scowl at the Alpha. 

“Of course I'm an Alpha.” Matt said in a tone that could almost be considered forceful, but at the sight of the smaller man's body tensing aggressively, he dropped his eyes to the floor as he would do for any Alpha that would have given him such a look. “Sorry.” He muttered. Even if Alfred was being a little rude, the guy had just saved him, (even if it was probably going to make his life hell,) so he should at least be polite in return... especially since this particular Omega probably could beat him up if he wanted to, and having an Omega beat him up would probably be the only way his situation could even get any worse then it already was.

The act of submission caught Alfred by surprise, since no self respecting Alpha would so willingly bow down to any Omega, but it made the sandy blond relax some. Alpha or not, this guy had obviously found himself at the bottom of the pack, judging by his reactions. Still, an Alpha was an Alpha, and Alfred wanted nothing to do with their silly kind. Which was a shame cause this one was kind of cute. “Yeah, well, whatever.” He muttered, running a hand through his hair as he glanced away from the pathetic Alpha. “'nyways, don't go starting fights that you can't finish. I ain't always gonna be around to save you, ya know?” The Omega called back as he walked away, leaving Matthew where he stood, and gave a halfhearted wave as he went to get on with the rest his day, already planning on putting the whole morning's events behind him and out of his mind.

Matthew frowned, looking up at Alfred once more as he heard his footsteps signaling his departure, and opened his mouth to defend himself, to tell Al that he hadn't started the fight and that he didn't needed his help, but the only sound that came out was a sigh. Sparing the Omega once last glance, (and finding himself unable not to appreciate Alfred's back side), Matt shook his head at his foolishness. No Omega found a wimpy Alpha attractive, and with the toughest Alphas in the school unable to win Al's attention, what chance did someone like him have? It was best not to even humor such thoughts.

Gathering his books, Matthew took one last deep breath, then headed towards his class, hoping that word of his humiliation hadn't spread yet, but upon entering the room and finding 'hygienic slick pads for omegas' decorating his desk with words like 'wimp' and 'pussy' written on them, he knew that was not the case.


	2. Irony... Or Something Like It

The rest of the week had passed by pretty much as Matthew had expected. A constant stream of teasing and bullying following him everywhere he went. Despite it all, not once did he see more then a glance here or there of Alfred, the troublesome Omega that had gotten him into this mess. It almost seemed like he was avoiding him. Mild mannered or not, it kind of pissed the Canadian off.... but not enough to actually do anything about it. Besides, it wasn't like he had any real reason to expect Alfred to pay him any mind. After all, no one else did... well, they did now, but that was only to taunt and tease him, so that didn't really count.

Thankfully, it was finally Friday and the lowly Alpha was looking forward to escaping the hell hole known as High School now that he was free to go home and enjoy a very much needed few days off, but nothing ever seemed to go his way. Out of seemingly nowhere, a group of Alphas rounded the corner and, seeing Gilbert at the front of the pack, Matthew sighed, knowing what was going to happen. 

“No Omegas around to protect you today?” Gilbert said snidely as he shoved the other Alpha back against the lockers. It was the same comment he had made every time he had managed to cornered Matthew this past week, but his his cronies laughed from behind him as if he had said or done something smart or witty anyway. Having dealt with it enough times already, Matt lowered his eyes and didn't bother fighting, knowing that it would just give them a reason to bully him more. Not getting a responds, the group, as expected, grew bored quickly, and having better things to do, Gilbert snorted and grabbed his victim by the front of his shirt. “You're not worth my time.”

One of the albino's followers already had the locker open and ready, and the Canadian soon found himself inside it's tight confines, easily hearing their laughter slowly fade from the other side of the thin metal door as they went off to enjoy their weekend, leaving the weaker Alpha behind for the janitor to find whenever he happened to show up. If he was lucky, maybe a sympathetic Omega or Beta might wonder by and free him, but since he had taken a rarely used hallway in hopes of avoiding people, Matthew knew he could be in for a long wait.

Breathing loudly inside the narrow locker, Matthew felt like screaming. His life had been tough enough since he had hit puberty and discovered that he was an Alpha, not an Omega like previously assumed due to his gentle nature, but never before had he been tormented so much! It made the teenager just want to hit something in his frustration, and thanks to a week worth of teasing, taunting, and beatings, that was exactly what he did.

Screaming as loudly as he could, Matthew kicked, punched, and thrashed against the metal walls that trapped him, letting out his hurt and anger at the situation he was caught up in, and continued until he was out of breath, only to then scream some more as soon as he was able. This whole thing -his whole life - was just so messed up! 

The Alpha continued to let out the built up negative emotions, yelling, and swearing, and throwing what he would have typically consider an immature temper tantrum, until the door that he was pressed up against was opened, and with the support he was leaning against suddenly removed from behind him, Matt tumbled out backwards, right onto his savior. 

Alfred let out startled yelp when the unexpected weight of a person came crashing down onto him, following it up with a few very un-Omega like curses, he then struggled to quickly untangle their limbs and crawl out from under the awkward Alpha, scurrying away to stand up a couple of yards away from the man. A little dazed from the sudden drop, Matthew finally managed to flip himself over, into a kneeling position, and for the second time that week found himself looking up at the Omega that had saved him. A part of him thrilled over the fact that Alfred had showed up to help him again, and it wasn't just because the other teen had let him out of that cramped locker, but then he remembered that Al saving him was what had gotten him into this whole mess to begin with, and the warm feeling faded into misplaced anger as his earlier despair with his situation returned.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Matthew snapped, glaring up through his bangs and unwittingly taking his current frustration out on the Omega, like Alphas were prone to do. Alfred frowned in return, and crossed his arms over his chest instead of backing down like one of his kind normally would. “Well, you're fucking welcome. Next time I'll leave you in there, you ungrateful ass.” Al shot back, warily watching the disgruntled Alpha from a safe distance, ready to fight if it looked like it would be needed, since Alphas did not typically take well to an Omega giving them lip, but once again, this particular Alpha surprised him and didn't retaliating to his own challenging tone. Instead, the aggressive smell slowly faded, shifting into an equally unpleasant, but far less threatening, odor of depression. Looking down at the teen, Alfred could see the wet trails of tears decorating Matt's face, and he felt his own anger fade as well. Alpha scent or not, the guy looked like an Omega, down their on the ground crying like that. It made it hard to stay annoyed with him.

Not sure if offering to help the other up would make things better or worse, Alfred just stood back and waited. After a few minutes of staring at the floor in silence, Matthew finally spoke. “Why are you even here?” he asked, exasperated. “Don't you know that it was your help last time that got me into this mess? Why are you doing this? Is it because you think I'm so pathetic that I need help from an Omega? ” Matt asked bitterly, glaring down at the floor as he wringed his hands together before him. 

Not liking his attitude, especially considering he had just helped him, Al resisted the urge to hit the Alpha upside the head, like he would have done to most people who acted like him being an Omega made him weak or something, but, running his hand through his sandy blond hair, he reminded himself that this guy had had a tough week and bit his tongue, trying to hold back his temper. 

Normally Alfred just said whatever was on his mind, but for once the Omega took a moment to actually think about what to say, since emotional support and stuff wasn't the type of thing he normally dealt, especially not the emotions of an Alpha, since he typically only interacted with other Omegas and Betas. 

“Look.” He finally said with a heavy sigh. “If I had realized that you were an Alpha, I wouldn't have stepped in, alright? I really don't want nothin' to do with you guys' dick measuring contests. Not unless I'm there to win it, anyway.” Al snorted. “I mean, I was making it a point to stay away from you so no one would mess with ya just because I happen to be around, and I was gonna let you be all Alpha and just deal with this shit on your own, but you were freakin' out, so I couldn't just gonna leave you locked in there. 'Sides, no one was around to see me help you anyway.”

Though his eyes remained focused on the floor, the scowl faded from Matthew's lips and he let out another soft sigh of self pity. He guess he really was just a pathetic Alpha who needed an Omega to save him. 

Said Omega stared down at the sulking Alpha for what felt like a very long time, waiting for him to say something, make a move to get up off the ground, anything really, before finally dropping his shoulder in defeat and rolling his sky blue eyes as he let out a dramatically loud sigh. “Oh my god.... would you knock it off already! I never thought I'd actually suggest this to someone, but act like a fucking Alpha!” Alfred huffed, throwing his hands up in frustration, and catching Matt's attention.

“Oh, like it's that easy! As if I haven't been trying to do just that for years!” Matthew snapped back, still on edge from a rather nerve wrecking week, and glared at the omega, instinctively not liking his forceful tone. Al frown, not liking being snapped at, but he had just told the guy to man up and act like an Alpha so...

“Well, ya gotta do somethin', or else you're just gonna spend the rest of your life dealing with stuff like this. You know that, right?” Al said, trying to sound reasonable. Even if he didn't like dealing with Alphas, this guy obviously needed some help, and the hero in Alfred insisted that he try.

While Matthew did not reply aloud to the comment, his expression of defeat made it clear that he understood that, and that he had pretty much already accepted such a hopeless future, and that made Alfred's gut clench. No one should have to make that face.

Never one to stay still for long, Alfred paced back and forth as he thought about what he should do. Alpha's were all about putting up a good front and saving face, so knowing that, he knew he couldn't fight to defend him without making things worse. Well, if Al couldn't help personally, he'd just have to teach this guy how to help himself . “Fine. I can't believe I'm gonna do this, since there's already enough scummy Alpha's around this school... “ The Omega paused his pacing to look down at the other teen. “... but if you can't figure out how to act like a real Alpha and not get your ass kicked all the time, then I'll just have to teach you.”

“...What?” Matt asked after a long moment, not sure if he heard Alfred correctly. Did an Omega really just offer to teach him how to act like an Alpha? It sounded so ridiculous that he almost thought it was some cruel joke to make fun of him, but the serious look upon Al's face said other wise. “Wait, you're serious!?” The Alphas gasped in disbelief, and the Omega nodded firmly.

“Fuck yeah, I'm serious! I'm gonna teach you how to fight, buff up, stare someone down, pick up Omegas, and all that junk! By the time I'm done with ya, you'll be top dog at this school. Well, under me, of course.” Alfred smirked and held out a hand, offering to help Matthew up. “So, you up for it? Or would you rather spend the rest of your year all cozy in one of these lockers, hm?” Al grinned again, the corner of his lips cocked in amusement, not missing the irony of the situation. An Omega who disliked Alphas, teaching an Alpha how to act like the very thing he hated. Yeah, that was kinda funny, in a demented sort of way.

Matthew also saw the irony in the situation, but, feeling like the butt of this particular joke, it didn't seem as funny to him. Still, his life was currently hell and it didn't look like it was going to get better any time soon, so what did he have to lose? Lifting his arm, he took Alfred's offered hand. “..... Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comment and kudos. :)
> 
> I hope you all continue to enjoy the story and that Matthew isn't sounding too emo or whiny... though, I suppose if he wasn't, Alfred wouldn't have anything to help fix, huh? Anyway, comments, suggestion, or whatever, are always welcomed.


	3. If You Got It, Flaunt It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Had to edit one sentence slightly for new future plot reasons I just thought up, but it shouldn't change the feel of this chapter, or the story thus far.

“Alright. Let's get started!” Alfred said, circling Matthew in a disturbingly predatory kind of way that made Matt feel bad for all the Omegas who had to deal with such looks from Alphas on a daily bases, and made him wish that he had reconsidered Al's invitation to come by his house after school. Well, actually, reconsider his reconsideration, since he had turned down the invitation at first, claiming that it was too short of notice to show up for dinner at someone's house that he hardly even knew, but Alfred had just dragged him along after him, claiming that his mother wouldn't care in the least, though based on his tone, the Canadian had a feeling it was more that Al just didn't care if his mother cared.

It turned out that Alfred only lived a few blocks away from him, a fact that neither had known, (though, considering that Al hadn't even known his name until he had asked on their way over, that wasn't too surprising,) and luckily Mrs. Jones was fine with a surprise guest, though the look of shock on the poor woman's face when she had caught Matthew's scent as she went to greet him and had realized that her son had brought home an Alpha for a change was priceless. Stuttering, Matt had attempted to properly greet her in return, but Al had quickly bullied him up the stairs, pushing and shoving him away before he could even really say a proper 'hello' to the older Omega. 

Being in what Matthew could only assume was a state of shock, judging by the look on her face, Al's mother had almost forgot to yell up after them, telling her Omega son to keep the door open, like any proper parent would. Out of teenage spite, Alfred had shut it behind him anyway, muttering something about being insulted that she thought he would lower himself to sleeping with a lowly Alpha. Once again, Matt kind of felt insulted.

When Alfred finally stopped his circling and stood before him, Matt focused back on the present, biting his lip and silently watching as Al crossed his arms over a chest that really was much to broad for an Omega, and the Alpha couldn't help but swallow at the wicked grin that followed. “Strip.” He ordered and Matthew gawked in reply. Was that why he had shut the door? When Alfred had said he was going to make an Alpha out of him, surely he didn't mean.... 

Face flushing red and mouth opening and closing like a fish out water, Matthew blinked in shocked confusion. “Eh?! W-wha?” Eyes wide, the Alpha finally managed to squeak out, fidgeting uncomfortably as he did so.

“I mean, take off your shirt.” Alfred repeated bluntly, grin stretching a little too wide to be clueless about what his statement had sounded like. “If you want my help, I gotta see what I have to work with, 'cause, like it or not, as far as Alphas are concerned, the stronger, the better. So building up your physique seems like the most obvious place to start. You know, figure out what area you need to work on the most and stuff.”

“O-oh.” Matthew stuttered, a small part of him unable to not be disappointed.

“Come on. How bad can it be? I won't laugh. Promise.” Alfred grinned boldly, the Omega seeming more easy going about the idea of an Alpha stripping in front of him then Matt did about stripping in front of the Omega. Ego already injured, Matt couldn't bring himself to back down from the unspoken challenge, and biting his lip, nodded his agreement. He could do this. After all, it was just a shirt and Omegas saw Alphas without their shirts on all the time at the beach and such, so it really wasn't that big of a deal....

Reaching down to grab the hem of of his large, red, hooded sweat shirt, the Alpha took one last breath to gather his nerves before pulling it over his head in one swift motion, then tossed it over onto Alfred's bed.

There was a long moment of silence as Alfred looked the other over before he let out a low whistle. “Whoa! Not half bad, Mattie. Not bad at all.” Al exclaimed in approval, brows raised in surprise. A fairly lean body with a nice hint of muscles hidden under that baggy shirt wasn't what he had been expecting. “I seriously don't see why you're so freakin' timid with a body like that!” The omega commented, reaching out to poke Matt's stomach, and causing the teen to jerk away, muscles jumping at the light touch. “You play a sport or somethin'?” He asked as he absently noted that Matthew was ticklish, a small smile forming at the knowledge. 

“Ah, yeah.” Matthew answered as he reached up to fiddle with his glasses, his blush deepening and spreading all the way to his ears and down his chest, but the Canadian was unable to help but be pleased at being complemented and admired by an Omega.... even if said Omega was about as Alpha as you could get. “Hockey. I play hockey.”

“Oh really? Huh.” Alfred said, learning something new about the other. Since he, being an Omega, wasn't allowed to join a sport (at least not anything he was interested in doing), he didn't bother keeping track of or routing for any of the school's teams, but he figured he might have to stop by to watch Matt practice sometime once the season started, just to see how the Alpha acted on the ice, compared to normal, since hockey wasn't exactly a passive sport. “Well, whatever you're doing, keep it up.” He told the alpha and went over to sit on his bed, kicking his feet against the side of mattress as he tried to think of what to do next, since he had expected conditioning to take at least a month or two before showing even a little bit result.

“So, you got the body, -” Alfred started but paused to wave off a mumbled, embarrassed thanks from Matthew. “ - and that's like, half the fight right there. So to speak. Just having muscles will keep most Alphas off your back, just 'cause they don't want to risk loosing a fight and looking bad if they can help it.” The sandy blonde pointed out, then the wicked look from earlier return along with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. “Plus, most Omegas love a good body.” He grinned before getting serious again. 

“But you're always wearing those big baggy shirts and stuff, like you got somethin' to hide.” There was a second of consideration before Al spoke again. “We seriously gotta change your look.” He stated to Matt and then laughed at the look of dread the other teen gave him. “Don't worry... It don't gotta be anything too drastic. It's fall. Not too cold out yet, right? So, how 'bout a t-shirt to show off your arms. It doesn't have to be tight, just not baggy. You know, just enough to show that you ain't got nothin' to hide.”

While Matthew guessed what the Al said made sense, he wasn't too sure he was fond with the idea of changing his look. After all, it wasn't like he wore his sweatshirts because he was ashamed of his body, he just figured if he had to spend the day at school being ignored by everyone, he might away well be comfortable.

“Oh, come on! It's not like I'm telling ya to wear fishnets and leather.” Alfred chuckled lightly, trying to ease the other's discomfort. And it apparently worked, because Matt sighed and nodded a second later. 

“I guess you're right.” Matt agreed, finding it hard to argue with Al's straight forward and confident manner. Besides, what harm could wearing a t-shirt really do? “But I don't think changing my cloths is going to fix my problems. It's not like I've never wore a t-shirt to school before.” The Canadian pointed out, but Alfred waved off his skepticism with another snort.

Pulling his legs up to sit cross legged on his bed, Al's eyes unintentionally lingered on the Alphas body, and Matt was unable to help but resume his uncomfortable shuffling at the staring. The motion and the scent of discomfort that followed made the Omega realize that he was staring, and Alfred quickly shook his head to clear it, unable to believe that he had just been staring at an Alpha (even if said Alpha had just enough muscles to be attractive without looking over baring,) and quickly tossed the Canadian's shirt back to him.

“Ah, of course not!” Al replied, quickly getting back on subject. “But it's an easy thing to start with, right? Gotta work on your attitude, build up your confidence, change your mannerisms, and stuff, too. Obviously. Like, I've dated Omegas that didn't lowered their eyes to me as much as you do. I mean, you stare at the floor like it's the most interesting thing in the whole fucking world, and that's kinda messed up man.” The Omega pointed out, then glanced away with a small frown. “Hell, my mother would be thrilled if I acted even half as submissive as you. It's like you were taught half the dumb shit they try and force me to learn in all of those stupid courses, where they teach you to act like a proper Omega.”

Pulling his shirt back on, Matthew unintentionally looked back to the floor, frowning as Alfred pointed out that particular flaw. “I kind of was.” The Alpha admitted softly, peaking Al's interest. “I was very shy as a child. Very timid. My whole family though that I would be an Omega, so....” He trailed off with a shrug.

“...I see.” Alfred said, and actually meant it. Suddenly he got the guy, since he had pretty much dealt with the exact same thing growing up. Just.... a little different. While Matt had been thought an Omega, his parents had expected him to be an Alpha, thus they had encouraged his bold behavior while growing up, only to be suddenly told that everything he knew was wrong when he went into heat for the first time at the age of thirteen, proving him to be, without a doubt, an Omega. 

It wasn't really a period of his life he liked to think about, because it only made him feel bitter about not being born an Alpha, like he obviously should have been. “Well, if anyone can teach ya how to be un-omega like, it's me!” Al joked with a grinned, forcing humor into his voice as he pushed old memories aside, more eager to help now that he understood Matthew''s behavior a little bit better. 

Despite Alfred's attempt to sound up beat, Matthew still had the nose of an Alpha, and easily picked up on the Omega's brief change of scent, silently noting how Al's normal, somewhat spicy, confident smell suddenly took on a slightly sour odor, making the other teen glance up through his bangs in concern, but the moment passed quickly, and Alfred was once again talking, acting, and smelling, normal. Still, Matt couldn't help but wonder what had caused the scent change, but he figured it was rude to ask, so the Alpha focused on what the other was saying.

“So, first off....” Al paused until he had Matt's full attention on him. “...look me in the eyes when you talk.” He told the Alpha, who still had his face was tilted down, towards the floor, submissively. While Alfred kinda thought the expression was cute, it certainly wasn't what they were going for. “Come on! Even you gotta have enough balls to look an Omega in the face.” Said Omega taunted, changing techniques and sliding off the bed to walk over and shove the Alpha with both hands, forcing the taller teen to stumble back a step. 

So far Alfred had been being nice, but considering how Matthew was still looking down at the ground like Al might smack him at any second, (which, considering his temper, was a possibility,) it was becoming obviously that 'nice' wasn't working. Maybe the best way to go about this was to trigger the Alpha's basic instincts... or somethin'. “Are you seriously so big of a wimp that you can't even look at me? Are ya really gonna let an Omega bully ya, just like the rest of the school?” He snorted and gave the Alpha another hard shove. “What? Are you gonna piss yourself, you wussie ass, sniveling, poor excuse of a-” The Omega continued to taunt, pushing Matthew with each insult, until the Alpha finally snapped and shoved him away with a snarl.

“Cut it out!” Matt growled, frustrated, flustered, and angry at the treatment and sudden string of insults thrown at him, by an Omega of all people. The heavy scent of a pissed off alpha then filled the air and, surprisingly, caused the Omega to jump back, startled. For a moment, Al's breath caught in his throat and he froze, unable to stop the natural responds to such a smell. His own scent changed to fear and submission for a split second, but the Omega quickly caught himself, and forced himself to calm down. 

Though Alfred would never admit to his own momentary lapse of fear, Matthew didn't miss the scent change, and the Alpha felt a wave of guilt flood over him, unable to believe that he would shout at someone that was trying to help him like that. At an Omega, none the less! “Oh my god! I am so sorry!” He gushed, and Alfred blinked before rolling his eyes once more and doing a face palm.

“I can see that we have a lot of work ahead of us.” Alfred sighed as Matt's personality switched quickly back to normal, and looked at the Canadian who simply shrugged and muttered 'sorry' once more in reply.


	4. When Pigs Fly

The next day, Matthew found himself sitting on the edge of Alfred's bed, silently sipping at a soda in a sort of daze as he watched the Omega literally throw clothing out of his closet and all over his already messy room as he looked for something he deemed suitable for the Alpha to wear to school Monday. As a pair of boxers with little winged pigs decorating it was flung across the room, not for the first time, the Canadian wondered if he was crazy for going along with any of this. 

The idea of an Omega teaching an Alpha how to act was just insane... though, as Al tossed a pair of jeans carelessly to the side, knocking over a stack of video games and movies he had left out, only to have him show no concerned at all about the new mess he had just made, Matthew had to admit that the Omega really was about as Alpha like as one could get... Plus it was hard not to be swept away by Al's charisma and confidence, which was probably why he found himself going along with whatever the other teen came up with, and was certainly why he was even back at the Omega's house with a duffel bag containing his pajamas, as well as his 'best outfits', something that Alfred had insisted that he bring with him only to then dubbed horrible upon first sight. 

'As if he had any right to judge my fashion sense.' Matt couldn't help but think as he eyed a tacky Superman shirt that was currently hanging on the desk light.

Hearing Al let out a sound of triumph, the light blond Alpha turned his attention back to the slightly smaller man, to see what the omega had come up with after digging through all of his drawers and closest, and completely trashing his room in the process of 'finding the perfect outfit.' Matt was not impress when all he held up was a black t-shirt decorated with skulls. Why would an Omega even own a shirt like that in the first place? 

Moving his gaze away from the shirt, he looked back to the Omega and raised a single eyebrow in question. “Really? After all of that, this is what you come up with?” Matthew said in a deadpan tone, clearly not impressed.

Alfred rolled his eyes, an action that seemed to be quickly becoming common place with the Omega. “Trust me. This'll do. Like I said yesterday, it don't gotta be anything fancy. ” The teenager said as he weaved his way through the clutter on his floor and handed Matt the shirt. “Go ahead, try it on.” Al urged, and Matthew blinked at him before taking the offered clothing. 

“I'm starting to think you're just looking for an excuse to see me strip.” The Alpha commented sarcastically, catching Al off guard. Giving him a wide eye look of shock that was almost enough to make Matthew apologize for saying something so crude to an Omega, Alfred laughed and flashed the Canadian a wide grin.

“Ha! Yeah! That must be the reason.~” Al chuckled and winked playfully at Matt, earning himself a slight blush for his effort. While the remake had caught Alfred off guard, it wasn't because he was bothered by such comments, (hell, he said a lot worse then that), it was just that, from what he had seen the past few days, it seem like such an .... un-Matt-like thing to say. It was good too see that the nervous Alpha had some sort of sense of humor. 

Having already been shirtless in front of the other, the hesitance from yesterday wasn't there, and Matthew took off his trade mark hoodie without farther complaint. Tossing it aside, Matt then attempted to put on the shirt Al had handed him, but it appeared that the fact that Alfred was rather big for an Omega didn't matter. The skull shirt was simply too small, bunching up under Matt's arms a little and showing off his stomach like some of the Omegas did at school, which Al typically liked, but once again, it certainly wasn't the look they were going for. 

“.... I don't think this shirt is going to work for me.” Matt mumbled, and Al agreed. 

As Matthew struggled to get out of the too tight shirt, Alfred went back to sorting through his stuff, hoping to find something that would both fit and look cool on the Alpha, but his (questionable, in Matthew's opinion) fashion show was interrupted when Mrs. Jones called up from down stairs. 

Rolling his eyes, (Matt guessed that expression wasn't solo reserved for him,) Al opened his bedroom door and yelled down (in what was certainly not an inside voice) to see what she wanted. The exchange went on between the two for only a minute before Alfred caved in at the mention of sweets and agreed to do what she wanted. “Apparently my mother is under the impression that we, like, have to be stuffing food down your throat, or we ain't being 'good hosts,' or something. Go ahead and try this on. I'll be right back.” He said and tossed Matt a white, sleeveless, wife beater before heading out of the room.

Hearing Alfred nosily make his way down the steps, probably two at a time, the Alpha shook his head slowly at the the other's actions. That Omega really was something, that was for sure... even if Matt wasn't exactly sure what that 'something' was. 

Looking back to the wife-beater, Matthew sighed but did as he was told.

Pulling the soft, cotton shirt down so that it fully covered his mid-drift, the Alpha ran his hands along his sides, and frowned a little at how small it felt in comparison to his sweat shirt. The lack of sleeves and heavy folds of material also made him feel kind of, well....exposed. 

Matt's contemplations were interrupted only a second later by an unexpected 'wolf whistle', and the Alpha looked up to see that Alfred had returned.... with an already half eaten plate of brownies. How on earth did he not notice someone as noisy as Alfred return was beyond him, but he didn't dwell on the the unimportant thought long, pushing it aside as the plate of goodies was shoved into his hands as the Omega looked him over again. “Looking good! I knew it'd suit ya.”

“Eh, thanks?” Matt said automatically, unsure if his 'thanks' was for the compliment, or for the brownies. 

Knowing that he would feel awkward eating while Al was staring at him so intently, the Alpha set the plate on the dresser for later. “It's kind of... tight, though, isn't it?” He asked lightly and glance away. 

Al shrugged and pinched Matt's side roughly, causing the man to yip and jump away before looking back with a small glare. The pinching had been something Alfred had started doing yesterday, whenever he noticed the Alpha turning away submissively or refusing to look him in the eyes. He said it was in hope of discouraging such actions. Whatever the reason, it was annoying.

“Yeah, I guess. A little. You are a bit bigger then me, so, you know. But it really does look good. I mean, it's not, like, skin tight or nothin', but it definitely shows off your form.” Al commented, then snorted at the look of uncertainty on Matthew's face. “Come on! It's just a sleeveless shirt! It's not like it's indecent, or somethin'!” Al said in exasperation and threw his hands up in defeat when the Canadian didn't look any more convinced about wearing the shirt then before.

Stomping back over to his closest, over dramatically, Alfred then grabbed a large, button up, red flannel shirt and tossed it to him. “Here. Put this on but don't button it up. Just let it hang open.” Al ordered and Matt obeyed.

Stepping forward to roll up the sleeves to Matt's elbows, the shorter teen backed off to admire his work and gave a small nod of approval at what he saw. “Better?” He asked the Alpha and nodded towards the mirror on the inside of his closet door, which Matthew noted was decorated with with random photos of Al with various Omegas.

Ignoring the pictures, Matthew looked at his own reflection. The flannel did help to make him feel a lot more at ease, but at the same time, with how it hung open, it didn't hide his body like his sweat shirts did. His forearms were bare, and depending on how he moved, the unbutton shirt would flare aside enough to show that he had a lean, firm torso, and the cut of the wife beater showed just a hint of his strong, if slightly narrow, shoulders and chest. All in all, it really didn't look half bad... kind of lumber Jack-ish, but hey... he supposed you didn't get much more Alpha then those guys.

“Well?” Alfred urged, and Matthew remembered that the omega had asked for his opinion.

“Oh! Um, well... it's...” Matt started, pausing to straighten his glasses and look himself over once more in the mirror. “It's not bad. Not bad at all.” He decided, and Alfred grinned widely in return, pleased with his progress thus far. It was a good start.

“Okay. Good.” Alfred's grin quickly grew wicked again, and Matthew felt a flash of unease fill him. “Now take off your pants.” The Omega commanded.

“Eh?!”


	5. Ready or Not

What Matthew had been expecting (or at least had been hoping) to be a nice, quiet weekend, had become anything but that, as he had some how found himself spending the entire thing with an Omega that he hardly knew, but seemed determined to change him. The weekend had not been bad, though, and in all honesty, Matt was a little sad to see it coming to an end. Glancing over at Al, as the other teenager threw his hands in the air to cheer about beating Matt at some zombie video game, (as if he hadn't just won the last hundred matches or so,) Matthew found himself smiling, which was something he didn't seem to get a chance to do too much any more. Despite being loud and bossy, the Alpha found that he actually liked spending time with the Omega. Alfred made him feel good (well, a little better, anyway,) about himself, and if you ignored his rough edges, he was a pretty nice guy. 

Such thoughts came to a halt as both teens paused and looked towards the door as the old grandfather clock that was in the hallway of Al's house chimed, signaling that it was nine o'clock. “Ah, I guess I should be getting home. I have an English paper I have to finish, and this one work sheet for math....” Matt said as he tossed the controller onto the floor (he would have put it away, but Matthew had come to believe that there was no such thing as 'away' in Alfred's room) and stood up, stretching a little as he did so. Alfred shrugged in reply, going right back to his video game. “Yeah. That's cool. I got ya.” He said absently, absorbed in his game again already... or so Matthew thought.

As the Alpha went to grab his red sweater to wear home over his baggy, Canada flag shirt, since the nights got a little chilly during the fall, he let out a startled yip as Alfred suddenly launched himself off the ground without warning, right at him. Tumbling to the floor hard and having the full weight of a fairly large Omega landing on him, knocked the air out of Matthew's lungs. Gasping to catch his breath, Matt then blinked his eyes open only to find himself pinned to the ground, straddled by the grinning Omega who was staring down at him. While he was sure that this was nothing more then Alfred being his normal, over bearing, goofy self, the Alpha couldn't help but noticed the feel of his warmth and weight as he shifted on top of him, attempting to snag the sweat shirt from the Canadian.

It was only after Al had victoriously yanked the sweater out of the other's hands that the Omega realized that Matt was blushing, and then the Alpha's scent change hit him. Face turning slightly red, yet still no match for Matthew's full out flush, Alfred jumped off of him and scattered to the far end of the room. 

“You ain't taking this with ya, cause you'll only end up wearing it to school tomorrow, and then all of my hard work will be for nothin'.” Al said as casually as he could, keeping his back to Matthew and pretending that that awkward moment had never happened. 

Matthew decided that it was best just to play along, to ease the tension. Even if he was interested in Al, (which Matt wasn't saying he was,) he knew that the Omega wasn't into Alphas. Everyone at school knew that.

“I wasn't going to wear it tomorrow.” Matt huffed in return as he pushed himself up into a seated position, and rubbed a freshly forming bruise on his lower back thanks to Alfred's unexpected action. “And even if I was, did you really need to tackle me?” He griped. 

Al shrugged again, and feeling more in control of himself, turned back around with a wide grin. “Tough love.” He winked in reply, and tucked Matt's hooded shirt under one arm. “Still.... why don't ya leave it here? Ya know, to avoid temptation?” Al suggested with a raised eyebrow and this time it was Matt's turn to roll his eyes. Did Alfred seriously think that he couldn't even be trusted to dress himself?

“Alright. Fine! Keep it if you think it's that big of a deal, but you're just being dumb.” Matt pointed out, feeling a bit sore at the Omega for tackling him like that, and stood up with a slight wince.

“You're being dumb!” Al replied wittily in return, and Matt couldn't help but smile and laugh a little at that. The expression made Alfred smile in return. “So I'll see you tomorrow at school?” The Alpha asked, hoping that the Omega wasn't too embarrassed to be seen with him in public. Of course, he would completely understand if that was the case....

Zoning out at the question, Alfred was silent a little to long. “Al?” Matt asked uncertainly, afraid that he might have thought right about the Omega wanting to avoid being seen with him, but then Al shook his head, coming back to himself. “Oh, yeah, sure but.... didn't you say you had an appointment with the eye doctor tomorrow?” He asked, reaching up to tap at his own glasses in reminder as he spoke, and Matthew blinked. He had almost completely forgotten about that appointment. “Ah, yeah. But I should be back by lunch.” Matt explained.

Noting the time stated, Al grinned in returned. “Great! I'll catch up with you at lunch then. You know, to make sure you're putting all these lessons I'm teaching ya to good use! ” He said, and Matt relaxed a little and smiled back at him. While he wasn't sure how well he would do with Alfred's so called 'lessons', he was just glad to hear that the Omega didn't plan on pretending he didn't exist. “Yeah... alright.” The blond Alpha replied in return, and joined Alfred as he exited the room, in order to walk his guest out. “So, I'll see you tomorrow.” Matt said, and this time it was a statement, not a question.

“Yep, tomorrow!” Al replied and waved good bye as he watched the other teen's retreating form. Once Matt was down the side walk, he then closed the door behind him. With his mother not due back from work for another half an hour or so, and with no one else around to see him, the teenage Omega unbundled the Alpha's sweat shirt from under his arm and held it out at arms length in front of himself. Looking it over in thought first, he then lifted the piece of clothing to his face, shut his eyes, and took a deep, long, sniff. The smell was heady. 

Taking another sniff, Alfred felt his body relax, and perhaps even grow a little arouse in reply to the scent of an Alpha, but then he realized what he was doing and frowned at himself before quickly pulling it away from his nose. Making his way to the kitchen, Al grabbed one of the plastic grocery bags his mother kept stored under the sink, and stuffed the shirt inside of it, tying it shut tightly. The Omega had work to do, so he didn't need that scent distracting him. Hopefully the plastic bag would solve that problem, while at the same time, prevent the shirt from airing out, and hopefully keep the scent strong for... later use.

Satisfied, Al went back up to his room and stashed the bagged shirt in the back of his closet. Sparing it one last look, the sandy blond Omega then walked over to his desk and pushed everything off of it with one swoop of his arm, onto the already messy floor, giving himself room to write. 

If Matthew wanted to gain any respect from his fellow Alphas, and in the process end the bullying, he was going to have to stand up for himself, and that meant standing up to Gilbert.

Settling down in the chair, Alfred pulled a pen and some paper from the desk drawer. Staring down at the lined paper, Al chewed on his lower lip in thought. With Matt gone for the morning, and Gilbert leaving school early with the football team to go play a make up game, or something, at another school, that would give him plenty of time before the albino Alpha had a chance to run into Matthew again. All he had to do was slip a note into Gil's locker before he returned to school, after the game was over. A note saying that Matthew Williams was challenging him to a fight.

Silently reviewing his plan once more in his head, Al nodded to himself and set the tip of the pen to the paper, quickly writing out the challenge and folding it neatly in half. Not wanting to forget it tomorrow, the Omega made sure to stick it inside of his back pack. Alfred just hoped that Matthew was ready for this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over 300 views, so I guess at least a few people are interested in this story, huh? :)
> 
> Well, the plot has been set and the character's introduced, so I figured it was about time to stir up some trouble, and who better to mess things up then Alfred, with his good intentions?


	6. What Comes Around, Goes Around

Monday's classes came and went, and Matthew could honestly say that, for the first time in who knew how how long, he was in a good mood. Sure, the new look didn't seem to do much more then get him a few curious glances due to his sudden change in style, but with himself showing up late to school, and Gilbert leaving early, the typical torment that he had suffered though most days had been absent, and that alone was enough for the lowly Alpha to qualify it as a good day.

To make things even better, Alfred had told the truth, and had joined him for lunch (even if Matt had a feeling that the Omega had skipped a class to do so). It had been far too long since he had had any company for lunch... Probably not since the few Betas that he had occasionally hung out with had pretty much abandon him in fear of being picked on by the albino Alpha as well. Perhaps they were not the best of friends a guy could hope for, but Matthew understood their actions. Betas were often targeted enough already, since hitting them didn't have the same taboo that hitting an Omega did, so who could blame them for wanting to remain under the radar, so to speak? 

So, as stated before, all in all, it had been a good day. Granted, Matthew probably wouldn't have been so pleased with how the day had passed if he had known about the note Alfred had secretly slipped into Gilbert's locker on his behalf, shortly after lunch.

The note was simple and to the point.

 

'It seems that we are unable to come to an understanding, eh? Meet me alone at the skate park at 10:00pm, so that we can settle this once and for all, eh? Unless you are too scared to face me on your own, eh? 

Matthew Williams' 

 

It was brilliant. With his careful wording, Al was sure that there was no possible way Gilbert would EVER figure out that it wasn't Matt who had written it.

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

That 'brilliant note' was the whole reason that he was now standing there, alone in the park, long past closing time. Despite being bundled in the thick, red, hooded sweater that Matthew always seemed to wear, the teenage couldn't help but shiver in the cool, night breeze. Pacing back and forth a few times, impatiently, the blond looked over the empty park in search of his opponent. With the only light being a few flickering street lights, it was difficult to see anything, but a sole figure was soon spotted as Gilbert Beilschmidt stepped into the dim light, and judging by his quick approach, it was clear that the albino saw him as well.

“What the fuck is up with this note?” Gilbert snorted, red eyes narrowed, and once he was close enough to to do so, the Alpha tossed the wrinkle page to the ground between them. The challenge had obviously been accepted. “Do you seriously think that you have a chance to beat the awesome me in a fight?” Hands on hips, the albino sneered at the hooded teen who had dared to call him out, before his lips twisted up into a mean smirk. “Or did you just come here to grovel in private and beg me to stop picking on you, like a little baby Omega? Heh, tell you what... get down on your knees and kiss my boot, and MAYBE I won't use it to kick your ass.”

When the sniveling Gilbert had ordered didn't happen right away, and he received nothing but a snort in return, the Alpha clenched his fists in reply to the lack of submission. “Fine. Be like that, but don't say I didn't give you a chance to back down when you go home crying with a busted up face.” He said threateningly, taking a step forward as he pounded his fist into his open palm as a preview of what was to come. “So, any last words?”

“The only last words that are gonna be spoken here are your own... when you're begging ME for mercy, ya got that?” Came the reply, and Gilbert paused. That did not sound like the Matthew Williams he knew.

Instinctively he sniffed the air too try and catch the other's scent while squinting into the darkness in hope of get a better view of the guy in front of him, to get some clue as to what was off about him, but before he could tell, the white haired Alpha had to suddenly dodge, when a fist came unexpectedly straight towards his face. 

Growling, Gil lunged at the attacker. He could always figure out what was 'wrong' with the other's scent AFTER he kicked his ass, after all.

While the albino might have been in many fights, like most Alphas, Beilschmidt had careful picked his battles to insure a steady stream of victory. Very rarely did he have to fight against someone better then him, but as he side stepped one punch only to take a jab to the kidney a moment later, causing him to fold over in pain, it seemed that he might have met his match.

Holding his own for the moment, the albino felt a wave of satisfaction as he managed to nail his opponent right in the mouth and picked up the familiar scent of blood, but for every hit Gilbert managed to land, it seemed like his opponent managed three more in return, and before he knew it, the Alpha found himself dropping to his knees, dizzy. Panting, Gil flicked his tongue out over his lower lip to lap up an annoying trail of his own blood, and shook his head in denial. There was no fucking way that that could be Matthew Williams. No fucking way. 

When a shadow feel over him, the white haired teenager looked up at the man standing above him, once again attempting to make out the feature of his face, but with his eyes now watering and quickly swelling shut, it was even harder to get a good look at the person at this point, then it was before... but still, he clearly saw glasses and was pretty sure that there was a little bit of blonde hair peaking out from under the red hood.... 

Was the man before him seriously Matthew 'Pussy Ass Alpha' Williams? “There's no way... there's no fuckin' way...” Gil spat, unable to accept that the lowest of the low had seriously beaten him in a fight, and in his rage, attempted to get back up to continue, only to have a knee come up and connect with his temple, knocking him unconscious with one final blow.

“Should have stayed down.” The winner snorted, then kicked Gilbert once more in the side for good measure before turning to leave, eager to go home, clean up, and get into something more comfortable before someone noticed him.

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

Despite how well Monday had gone, Matthew had expected his life to go back to it's normal misery the following day. What he did not expected was to see Alfred jogging down the hall, towards him. Opening his locker, the Canadian put away a few books and items as he waited for the Omega to finish his quick approach, curious about what Al was so hyped up about this early in the morning. 

“Hey Al. What's up...” Matt started to greet, but blinked, then gasped in surprise. “What happened to your face?!” He asked in concern as he reached up to cup a bruised cheek and run his thumb over a split lip, anger and irritation that someone would dare hit an Omega slowly feeling him, and altering his scent. 

Alfred frowned in return and pushed his hand away. Matthew tried not to let that bother him.

“No time for that now.” Al said quickly, as he shrugged his back pack off his the shoulder it was slung over, and quickly unzipped it. Pulling out Matt's red sweat shirt, the Omega shoved it into the Alphas arms before sparing a quick look back, towards the way he had come from. Seeing no one, he continued on. “Listen to me, and listen well, because your life may very well depend on this.... Do not break eye contact, no matter what.” He said in all seriousness. 

Blue eyes flicked down to the hoody in confusion before Matthew looked back up at the distressed Omega. “What are you talk-” He started but was uninterrupted again.

“Do NOT break eye contact.” Alfred insisted, then, without another word, darted down the hallway and into the safety of the Omega's rest room. Baffled, Matthew stood their dumbly for a moment, at a total lost, when he heard a familiar shuffling, and the Canadian's stomach clenched in dread as he turned around just in time to see Gilbert and his goons entering the hall.

Surprisingly, the albino stopped in his tracks upon spotting Matthew instead of marching right on over, and it was then that the lower Alpha noticed how battered up Gilbert looked. Eyes black and swollen with a white strip across the bridge of his nose, signaling a fracture. Some one had beaten up the Albino, and good at that.

Beilschmidt's gaze shifted down to the red shirt the other was holding, a shirt that Matt now had a feeling would have the tell tale sign of blood splatters on it if he took the time to look at it closer, but heeding Al's warning, the Alpha did not dare lower his gaze to check.

Red eyes then locked onto his, and Matthew's heart stop. Hands clenched in the shirt that signified his guilt, the seconds grew into what must have been decades, (eons maybe,) as the tension in the air grew thick enough to cut with a knife, when the absolutely, most unbelievable thing that could happen, suddenly happened. Gilbert looked away.

Judging by the looks on his fellow Alpha's faces, they obviously hadn't been expecting such a display from their leader either, and when the Albino turned to take another way to class, the group didn't seem as eager to follow as before. For a brief moment, Matthew felt a flash of sympathy. He knew what those looks meant.

Gilbert Beilschmidt had just shown weakness, and thus, had made himself a target in turn. It wouldn't be long until every Alpha in the school that wanted to make themselves look better among their peers was picking fights with him, trying to get the upper hand while the other wasn't at his best.

Deciding not to dwell on Gilbert's fate, (after all, the guy had been beating on him for the past week, so while Matt might have felt bad for him, he didn't feel THAT bad for him), the blonde Alpha finally looked down at his favorite hoodie. Unfolding it slowly, he then discovered that the front was, indeed, covered with blood, and swallowed hard. What had that crazy Omega gotten him into now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how many people did I fool into thinking Matt was going to be the one stuck fighting Gilbert? lol


	7. The Greatest Show on Earth

“Alfred!” Matthew yelled as he ran after the teenage Omega that he was pretty sure had been avoiding him all day at school, only to have his suspicions confirmed when Al winced at the sound of his voice, before stopping and turning around to look at him with an expression similar to what a dog, who had piddled on the floor and knew that it had done wrong, would wear. The expression was gone soon enough, though, replaced with a cocky grin so wide that it had to hurt the teen's split lip by the time Matt caught up with him, just outside of his house.

“Hey there slugger!” Al greeted overly happy, folding his hands behind his head and looking every which way, refusing to look Matthew in the eye. “So... the rumor all the Omegas are whispering about at school is 'bout how you beat up Beilschmidt. You caught a lot of people's attention with that little feat. Way to go, didn't know you had it in you.~” He said, literally giving the Alpha two thumbs up.

Matt frown. “Don't give me that!” The Canadian huffed. Closing his eyes, he then ran his hand through his hair and took a breath to calm himself before going on. “We both know that I wasn't the one that beat up Gilbert!” The Alpha hissed under his breath, afraid to raise his voice and risk anyone within ear shot of hearing, paranoid of what might happen if anyone they knew found out. 

When Alfred just rolled his eyes at him, (he wasn't even looking at Matt, but Matt somehow knew that that was what he did anyway,) he grabbed Al by the arm, forcing the Omega to look at him. Alfred frowned in reply, not typically very happy about people, especially Alphas, man-handling him like that. 

“Win one little fight and ya suddenly got the balls to lay a hand on me?” The omega growled, eyes narrowing, and Matt blinked in surprise. “Eh?! Sorry, sorry!” Wide eyed, the Canadian quickly apologized and released the other teen, taking a step back as he waved his hands in front of himself, trying to show he meant no offense by his actions.

Al's anger quickly dissipated and this time Matt clearly saw the eye roll the Omega gave him as he reached up to scratch at the back of his head in exasperation. “We seriously ain't gonna get away with this if you can't Alpha up a bit, and back up this lie.” Alfred sighed, then waved for Matthew to follow him as he opened the front gate. “Come on. We'll talk inside.”

Realizing that it was an act and that he hadn't actually offended the other, (or at least he was fairly sure that he hadn't), Matthew let out a breath of relief that he hadn't realized that he had been holding, and nodded in agreement to Al's suggestion. Walking though the gate to join the Omega in his yard, Matthew then let out a sudden yip of pain as the other teen punched him in the arm. “What was that for?!” He asked, rubbing the quickly forming bruise. 

“It was one for flinching.” Al grinned, his annoyance at Matt for grabbing him earlier now gone that he had shown his clear dominance between the two of them, and headed inside with a small chuckle. Frowning, Alfred's actions quickly helped in reminding Matthew that he was irritated with the Omega. Keeping a wary eye on him, he followed him inside. 

Looking around as he quietly shut the door behind him, it quickly became apparent to the Alpha that no one was home. The polite part of him mentally reminded himself that he really shouldn't be inside alone, with an Omega, without parental permission at the very least... but he really had to talk to Alfred about what happened today. Before things got even more out of hand. Besides... he doubted Al cared about proper etiquette concerning such things anyway.

Obviously not as concerned about the fight as Matthew, Alfred made his way through the living room and into the kitchen, bee lining his way to the fridge and pulling out the things he needed to make a sandwich. “Ya want one?” He asked casually as he took the arm load of food over to the counter. 

“Al.... we really need to talk about what -” The alpha tried again, and Al sighed again in reply. Pulling out a few slices of bread, he smothered them in mayonnaise before throwing on some ham and cheese. “And is there any reason we can't talk on a full stomach?” He interrupted, dipping the butter knife into the mayo jar and stirring it's contents, then asked once more, “So, do you want a sandwich or not?” 

Seeing that Alfred was obviously not in a rush to discuss things, Matt sighed and gave in. “Yeah. Alright. I'll have one. Thanks.” He agreed reluctantly, figuring that there really wasn't any reason that they couldn't eat first, since he had been to nervous to eat at school anyway, and pulled out a chair at the kitchen table. “But we really do need to talk.”

“Yeah, yeah. I got it.” Alfred said, throwing together an extra sandwich for the Alpha. Grabbing two plates, he then went over to join his school mate at the table, setting one of the sandwiches in front of the Alpha.... and five in front of himself. Matthew couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that, since most Omegas (or Alphas for that matter) didn't eat any where near that much... except maybe during preheat, but that was a thought Matt didn't need clouding up his head at the moment.

Lips pressed in distaste at the amount of mayonnaise dripping from the bread, Matt grabbed a napkin from the cute, decorative cat napkin holder on the table, and wiped what he could off before taking a tentative bite. It wasn't bad, but it was kind of hard to mess up a cold ham and cheese sandwich....

When he was half way through his sandwich, and Al starting on his third, the Omega finally started talking. “So I'm assuming you figured out what really happened last night?” He commented before taking another 'way too big' bite of food.

Swallowing his own mouthful, the Alpha set his sandwich down on the plate and wiped his mouth clean. “The bloody sweater, along with the fact that both you and Gilbert looked like you were hit by a car, gives me a pretty good guess.” He admitted bluntly, the reason why the Omega had wanted to keep his sweater that night becoming clear. His mouth pressed into a thing line at the thought, and Al laughed at his expression.

“Heh, okay, yeah... we both got pretty beat up, but he's way worse off then me. I mean, did you see his face today?” The omega bragged, and Matthew frowned in disapproval.

“Al... you can't do these kind of things. What if you had gotten hurt?” He pointed out in concerned, and Alfred's mood plummeted. “What? Ya think just because I'm an Omega that I can't hold my own in a fight?” He huffed defensively, a hint of a growl in his voice, and Matt was took off guard at the sudden mood swing.

“What? No!” Matt lied, because the fact was, despite the proof that Al was obviously more then capable of fighting, the idea of the Omega doing so, on his behalf none the less, just didn't settle well with him. They weren't suppose to have to fight at all. “I just... I just don't want to see anyone get hurt on my account. I mean, what if Gilbert, or anyone else, really, found out that it was you, and not me, that won that fight?” He said, voice trailing off meekly towards the end, all the possible, negative results flashing through his brain, and his concern calmed Al down some, even though his frown remained.

Taking another bite, Al spoke without swallowing. “Look.... Gilbert wasn't going to back off until you stood up to him, and face it, you would have gotten your ass kicked in a fight with the dude. Since we got, what? Less then two years of school left before graduation? The chance of you being able to beat him up before then, and stop being an easy target for everyone else, on you own, was pretty slim....” He pointed out, then swallowed. “So I did it for ya. Besides, no one will ever find out. I wore your shirt, so that's I'd smell like ya, and made sure to go at night so that he wouldn't be able to get a good look at me.” The teenage Omega explained. “Plus, you totally stood your ground when he ran into ya today! Or at least I'm assuming ya did, since you didn't get beat senseless, but what I mean is, you obviously FAKED acting like an Alpha well enough to make him believe it was you, and that's really all that's needed.... “Al rambled, speaking with his hands as he talked, and skimming quickly over the part about how he could have gotten Matt a very bad beating had his plan gone wrong.

Matthew hoped that the truth never got out, since if anyone ever found out that it had been Alfred fighting on his behalf, not only would his own situation get even worse, but Gilbert might feel the need to put the Omega in his place, even if it was looked down upon to hit an Omega, and Matt wouldn't be able to forgive himself if Al got hurt on his account.

“Just.... just be careful, Al. I mean... if someone found out what really happened... well, did you think of how much trouble we would both be in?” Matt felt the need to point out the Omega's recklessness, even though he knew it would annoy him, and sure enough, the sandy blonde rolled his eyes behind his glasses.

“Yeah, yeah... I thought it all through. That's why we're not done with plan... 'Alpha Stigma!'” Alfred said loudly, pushing himself up from his chair to raise one hand high in the air in what was probably suppose to look cool, like some anime pose, but was really kind of silly looking to see someone do in real life.

“'Alpha Stigma?'” Matt repeated. “Do you even know what the word 'stigma' means?” He then asked, fairly sure that the other didn't and was simply using the word because it sounded cool or something. 

Al smiled widely. “Nope! But it sounds cool, right?” The Omega confirmed Matt's suspicions. 

Shaking his head, the Alpha pushed the plate and left over sandwich aside. “Al, you can't just use words 'because they sound cool,' if you don't want people to...” Matthew began to lecture, but sighed and stopped as he noticed Alfred making 'yap yap yap' motions with his one hand, obviously not caring about what was being said. “Never mind.” The Canadian sighed and shook his head at the other's behavior.

Watching Matt wipe his hands clean, Al glanced down at the remaining half of his sandwich. “Ya gonna eat that?” He asked, and Matt looked up, a little surprised at the request, after having just seen him eat a whole pile of sandwiches, but shook his head no, and pushed the plate over to Alfred's side, only to watch the Omega finish it in two bites. That certainly was some appetite. 

“Anyways, you got a new look, and the whole thing that went down with Gilbert is gonna buy you some time, since it was so unexpected that no one is gonna fuck with you for a while, not when no one knows what to think about ya at the moment. So, since they don't know what to think of ya, we're gonna make them think what we want them too. ” Alfred started to explain the next par of his plan as he stacked the dirty dishes, but made no move to take them over to the sink. 

Realizing that the Omega was just going to leave the dirty dishes their for his mother to deal with, Matthew decided to help the poor woman out, (because he could only guess how exhausting living with someone like Al must be,) and picked them up and walked them over to the sink himself.

“Being an Alpha is all about show, so we just have to put on a little act now. Have you say, or do, a few small things without actually doing anything too hard, and if we play our cards right, you'll get out of Loserville, population one, YOU, without either of us having to even lift a finger against 'nybody. Sounds good, right?” He finished with a grin, turning around in his chair to absently watch as Matthew rinsed the plates.

While Matthew didn't agree with the means Alfred had first used to go about his plan, what was already done, was done, and he had to admit.... the Omega's plan was working. Not only had Gilbert backed off, but all of the other Alphas that would typically laugh at him, 'accidentally' slam into him in the hallway to make him drop his books, or whatever other childish pranks they came up with, had suddenly stop. It was almost like... they were treating him with respect. Why, even the pretty, busty, blonde Omega who sat next to him in homeroom had smiled at him, and had said 'good morning' without his prompting!

“I suppose... if you promise that you won't start any more fights!” The Alpha finally relented. “So... what's the next part of 'Alpha Stigma?'” Matt then asked, glancing over his shoulder as he finished with the dishes, back at Al, who grinned at the fact that he given in, obviously seeing the brilliance of his plan. 

When Al wave him over a second later, Matthew stuck the dishes in the rack to dry and went back to joined him. “Firstly, and this is very important....” Leaning over the table, Alfred then motioned for the Alpha to get closer, as if he was about to whisper something confidential, before continuing on. “.... you're gonna take me out for pizza. Oh! And ice cream! Your treat. You know... to thank me for kicking that asshole, Gilbert's, butt for ya.” 

Surprised by the demand, the taller teen laughed lightly and shook his head. “Alright... I guess pizza and ice cream it is then. Matthew smiled in reply, once again finding himself unable to stay mad at the Omega for long.


	8. Foreshadowing with Shadows

Considering that Alfred had just scoffed down five (and a half, if you counted Matthew's own left overs, which Al had eaten as well,) sandwiches, the Alpha hadn't thought that the Omega wanted taken out for pizza that night, but as he soon found himself sliding into a booth at the pizza place down the street, that Al had all but dragged him to, Matt guessed that he had thought wrong. The restaurant smelt good though, so even if this was much earlier then he typically ate dinner, Matthew wasn't gonna complain, especially not with Alfred happily rambling on about how good everything was there as he snagged a menu from there table. 

Pulling out his wallet while Al was busy looking over his options, Matt couldn't help but frown at it's contents, not sure if it would be enough to feed the, apparently ravenous, Omega. After a second of thought, the teen pulled out his phone. Having to let his folks know where he was at anyway, Matthew sent a text to his mother, explaining his situation. Well, not the whole situation, since he knew she wouldn't approve of Al's plan. In fact, he doubted anyone in their right mind would... which obviously made him question his sanity, but that was something to ponder at a different time, when he was alone.

While he hadn't really expected his mother to make a fuss about him asking to use the emergency credit card that they had given to him as long as he paid it back, Matthew hadn't expected her to be so.... eager about it. Apparently, hearing that he was out with the Omega that both of his parents seemed to think was a good influence on him, (though, he was fairly sure that was because they hadn't actually met Alfred in person,) she had told him not to worry about it, and had all but insisted that he treat him to whatever he wanted that night, without sparing the expense.

Matt had, of course, quickly replied back that it wasn't a date, since that was obviously what she had been thinking.... but, having been given permission, he was still going to use the credit card, especially if he wasn't expected to pay it back. Hey, he was a high school student. It wasn't like he was made of money, after all. 

“Hmm?” The Canadian mumbled in question, looking up from his phone as he realized that the Omega in question was speaking to him.

“I said, do ya think a large pepperoni will be enough for the both of use?” Alfred repeated, closing the menu and tossing it carelessly onto the table. Matthew was a little relieved to hear such a normal order, having somewhat feared that Al would request something ridiculous, like a dozen pizzas with everything on them.

“Yeah, it should be plenty.” The Alpha answered, figuring that he'd probably only have a piece, – or two if it was good as Alfred kept telling him it was on the way over,- and hoped that the remainder would be enough to satisfy the other teen.

Watching as the sandy blond flagged down a worker to place their order, (even if that was normally the Alpha's job,) Matt's mind couldn't help but wonder about Alfred's monstrous appetite, and the likely cause. Up to a week before their heat, Omegas tended to eat like crazy, storing up energy for what was to come. When courting, it was during this time of the year, (especially if they wanted to get any action when the real deal began,) that a proper Alpha was practically expected to shower their Omega's with treats and goodies, so taking Al for a good meal felt rather right.... expect that they weren't dating, and Alfred did not see him as a potential mate. 

…. Or did he? Frowning a little, Matthew thought about it. Alfred seemed to want to help him, was concerned about his looks, they were spending a lot of time together, and here he was, taking him out to dinner. The evidence seemed to suggested other wise... but Alfred liked Omegas, not Alphas like himself, right? Or maybe, just maybe....

“Huh?” Matthew's pondering came to a stand still and he blinked as the Omega in question clicked his fingers in front of his face, drawing the Alpha back to the real world. “Man, you were really out of. You okay?” Alfred asked with a small frown of concern. “Eh? Oh! Yes! I'm find, I was just thinking... about the plan, is all.” Matthew replied, eyes briefly darting down to the table, resisting the strong urge to sniff and try to catch any changes in Al's scent.

Alfred then gave him a look that suggested that he had apparently forgotten that they were suppose to discuss the plan farther. “Oh yeah. I guess we really should talk about that, huh?” Al said casually and stretched before lounging back on the bench, lazily crossing his arms behind his head. “Well, we got nothing else to do until the food gets here, so might as well chat it up while we wait.” He shrugged. 

Matthew nodded his agreement and tried to get his mind off of Alfred's up coming heat.... possible up coming heat. Why was he even thinking about that? It was a private matter and he had only really started to get to know the Omega over the last few days, so it wasn't his business at all. After all, it wasn't like Alfred was going to call him up, begging him to come over while he was all hot and bothered, panting and and begging for an Alpha... whoa! That was not where his mind needed to go.

“I'm fine.” Matt said before the Omega could even ask, and Alfred raised an eyebrow in question at the reply, but decided not to dwell on the other's odd behavior. “Okay? Anyway, like I was saying, I signed you up for the hockey team.” Al said, and Matthew nodded in understanding... then paused.

“Wait, what?” The Alpha asked. What exactly had he missed while he was busy day dreaming?

The Omega rolled his eyes and rand his hand through his hair, getting a little annoyed at having to keep repeat himself. “Geez. What's with you today? I said I signed you up for the school's hockey team.” He said again. “I remembered you telling me that you played, but when I looked at the try out list, your name wasn't on it... so I fixed that little issue.”

Matthew stared at the Omega for a long moment as the news sank in. “What?” He asked again, not wanting to believe what he had just heard. 

“What's wrong? Ya did say you played, right?” 

“Well, I, I did! Back when I lived in Canada! But that was years ago! If I tried out now, the other Alphas would kick my butt just for daring to try and compete against them for a spot!” Matthew exclaimed, and a smile slowly spread across Alfred's face as he leaned forward, folding his arms on the table between them. “Did you forget that 'you' just beat up Gilbert? Ain't nobody gonna fuck with you for now, remember?” The sandy blond Omega pointed out.

“But I...” Alfred quickly cut the Alpha off with an annoyed scowl. “Look. There's only so much I can do. You gotta be willing to pull your own weight in this plan, at least a little. You know, to keep your reputation from plummeting back down to the deepest depths of uncool that there is, and if it's not gonna be by fighting, then it's gonna have to be through sports.” 

The conversation came to a temporary pause as the food was delivered, and Matthew thanked the Beta as Al grabbed a piece, biting into it despite the employee's warning that it was hot. “Hot, hot, hot!” Al gasped after he burned his mouth, and the Alpha quickly poured him a cup of cola from the pitcher that came with their order, shaking his head at the other as he watched the Omega quickly down the drink.

His injured mouth didn't seem to effect his appetite, though, Matt noted as he watched Al blow on his food to cool it down enough to eat, and pulled a piece free for himself, setting it on his plate and giving it a chance to cool off on it's own. “And playing a sport is going to be enough?” He asked, getting back to their conversation now that they were once again alone. 

“Well, sure.” Alfred answered with his mouth full of pizza. “Alpha's fight cause they're like, all about showing off that they can beat their competition, ya know? And, I mean, ain't that the whole point of playing a sport?” The Omega explained as he helped himself to more of the food. “With the whole 'Gilbert thing' and a sport under your belt, you'll be building yourself up some credit with your fellow Alphas. And 'cause hockey isn't as popular as football and stuff, even if you are rusty or whatever, you'll probably get a spot, even if it's just a second rank filler, or whatever they call the back ups. I donno, I don't play it.”

Matt raised an eyebrow. It sounded too easy. “If I'm not the star player, how would that help me?” 

Al sighed, growing somewhat frustrated that Matthew didn't seem to get his reasoning. “Because sports are a TEAM effort. Sure, the star players will get more noticed, but we're not trying to make ya the coolest guy in the school. You're basically just gonna be their to leech off of their victories. Get it?”

Taking a bite of pizza to give himself time to think about it, the Alpha finally nodded. It wasn't like Matt disliked playing hockey, (the opposite, really,) so if he wasn't going to get beat up for trying out, (he hoped,) why not join the team and share in their glory if he couldn't earn his own through fighting like so many of the other Alpha's did?

“Finally.” Alfred grinned. “There's still some other things we gotta do too. Like, I only have so much stuff that fits ya, so we're gonna have to go shopping and pick you out some new threads at some point, and, oh! Nothing gets ya respect like showing up and smelling like you just bedded some hot Omega...” He trialed off with a wiggle of his eyebrows, having a feeling that that would catch the other's attention... and he was right.

“What?” The Alpha said yet again, this time having heard what Al had said the first time, just not really believing his ears, but the smirk on the Omega's face pretty much proved that he had heard correctly. “Alfred, I'm not even dating anyone...” He pointed out, blush forming on his cheeks. 

Al waved off his concerned. “Don't worry about that.... I got it covered.” 

Almost sputtering at that remark, Matthew's mind quickly went back to the Omega's (possible) up coming heat, and what he could have possibly meant by, 'I got it covered.' Was Alfred.... planning on 'taking care of it' himself? Maybe? 

The idea, no matter how unlikely, made the Alpha's mouth go dry. With that thought stuck in his brain, there was no way that Matt could not 'worry about it,' and he was about to push the subject when he noticed a very big change in the Omega's expression, followed by the sour scent of fear, strong enough to over power even the aroma of the food cooking in the back. 

Quickly turning around, to look where Alfred's gaze was directed, the Alpha caught nothing but the tail end of a shadow as the bell on the door rung, signaling the exit of a customer. “Alfred... Al!” Matt called out, trying to get the other teen's attention, and not succeeding until he actually reached out and grabbed Al's hand. Surprisingly, the Omega didn't pull away from his contact like he often did, and instead squeezed back.

“Yeah... yeah, I'm fine.” Alfred assured, licking his lips nervously as he looked back toward the door. “Just... I just thought I... never mind.” Came all the explanation he seemed willing to give. Seeing how it effected the normally bold teen, Matthew couldn't help but want to press for more information, but not having know Alfred for too long, he wasn't sure if it was his place to ask.

Instead, he tried to comfort the distress Omega by changing the subject. “Hey... you mentioned shopping, so how about we get this pizza wrapped up to go?” Matthew brought up as a way of distraction, and Al slowly turned his focus back towards him. “We can catch the bus and head to the mall for a few hours, eh? I can even buy you a pretzel while we're there, and we can get ice cream before we head home, if you want.”

The bribe of food seemed to help. “Alright... that sounds good.” Al said, slowly calming down as he convince himself that his mind was just playing tricks on him. “And I AM going to want ice cream, just so you know.” He added, sounding a bit more like his normal self, and stood up along with Matthew.

Taking time to get a box for the food and to pay, the teenagers headed out to go to the mall like Matthew had suggested, and the Alpha noted, but didn't mind, the fact that Alfred seemed to walk a little closer then normal.


	9. Is It Getting Hot In Here?

Whatever had spooked the Omega at the pizza place had quickly been forgotten in favor of shopping and food at the local mall, upon Alfred realizing that Matthew had his parent's credit card at his disposal. With Al wasting no time to take advantage of that fact, the Canadian soon had several new, 'Al approved,' outfits, as well as matching accessories, even though Matt was pretty sure that that wasn't what his mother had in mind when she had given him permission to use it.

Stuck carrying more and more bags as Al dragged him from store to store, (shopping apparently being one of the few omega stereotypes Alfred actually did,) the two teens finished up their outing with ice cream, just as Matthew had promised. 

“A large chocolate cone with sprinkles, right?” Matt checked as he handed the treat over to the other teenager. “Don't eat it to fast.” He then warned when Alfred immediately took a large bite out of it. 

Sitting at a table set off to the side at the food court, Matthew watched as the Omega devour his cone with the same speed that he had eaten everything else that day, and the Alpha couldn't help but chuckle at Al's wince, caused by the ice cream head ache that had soon followed. He didn't feel too bad about laughing, considering that he had already warned the other not too eat it too quickly.

Unable to help his curiosity about the Omega's appetite, though, Matt had glanced down at his own ice cream. “You seem really hungry today.” He commented as he absently stirred the toppings of his banana split together.

“Just that time of year.” Alfred answered bluntly, with the meaning of, 'that time of the year,' not needing to be asked. 

Everyone knew that Fall was 'that time of the year.' The time of year when Omegas went into heat... but to have it confirmed.... Matthew quickly took another bite of his own cold treat, suddenly feeling the need to cool off, and attempted to think about anything other then that as he ate. 

With school in the morning, and the mall closing soon, they finished off their ice cream and quickly left to catch the bus, with Matthew subconsciously placing himself between the Omega and any other Alpha that happened to pass by, (Alfred had noticed, but not wanting to deal with random Alphas sniffing around, had decided not to say anything for convenience sake,) until they were safely in front of Al's house. Waving goodbye, Matt stayed at the front gate, waiting for the other to get inside, before finally leaving and walking the remaining few blocks home.

 

-o-o-o-o-o- 

 

The rest of the week had passed by surprisingly uneventfully, with no one seeming to catch on to Alfred's scheme, as the Omega dressed him, coached him, and basically told him exactly how to act around his fellow Alphas, all while spreading positive rumors about him among the Omegas and Betas. 

And it was working!

Already the whole student body seemed to be responding to Matthew differently. Other Alpha's joked with him instead of making him into the joke, Omegas and Betas found him interesting enough that they would randomly stop to chat with him in the halls between classes, and even the teachers seemed to be treating him with a little more respect. 

Alfred had some how done the impossible, and this was still just the start... and yet, Matt wasn't even able to appreciate the change, because all he could focus on was Alfred's comments at the mall, and his slowly changing scent, that even his cologne couldn't hide fully.

It was a relief when the weekend came, this time not because Matthew needed the break from bullying, but just because he had to get away from the sweet, nagging smell that played cruelly with his senses. While he really did enjoy hanging out with the Omega, it was just too much for a teenage Alpha to deal with.

Thankfully, (though somewhat disappointing,) Matt didn't hear from Alfred over the weekend, and come Monday, the Omega wasn't at school either. It didn't take a genius to figure out the likely reason that the other teen was missing school, considering the pretty obvious clues provided the previous week, but the small break away from his friend had helped Matthew to calm down enough to think logically once more, and logic dictated that they still didn't know each other well enough for him to concern himself with the other's private affairs. Alfred's heat was his own business, not Matt's. 

With hockey try outs coming up soon, Matthew figured he might as well use his time away from the Omega to tune up his skills, and had decided to head over to the skate park Monday afternoon, once school was out. While rollerblading, the Canadian had practiced his slap shots repeatedly, hitting the orange ball into an over turned bucket, until a group of Alphas from school, all previous members of the hockey team, showed up while he was alone, and had unexpectedly approached him. 

Remembering the lessons Alfred had drilled into him, had Matt forced himself to keep eye contact rather then slump away in retreat, or look down in submission, and instead of taunting him like he had expected them to, he was invited to join their small group.

It had been easy to get caught up in a game of street hockey, and the time had passed quickly. Before he knew it, it was dark and he needed to head home. Never before had Matt actually enjoyed spending time with other Alphas, so after adding a few more names and numbers into his 'far to short' contact list, the Canadian bid them farewell, as they wished him good luck at the up coming try outs. Matthew couldn't help but smile.

Heading back home in a good mood, with his hockey stick propped over his shoulder and his rollerblades hanging from it, the young Alpha pulled out his phone again when it buzz, signaling a new text message. He was a little surprised to see that it was from Alfred, considering the state that the poor Omega was likely in at the moment. 

Opening the message, the Alpha stopped mid stride at what it said. 

'MEET ME AT MY PLACE NOW! GO AROUND BACK BECAUSE MOM WONT LET YOU IN FRONT DOOR.' Typically Matt would have replied back with some comment about him typing in all caps, but all the Alpha could do was stare wide eyed at his phone and swallow.

Obviously he couldn't go. Al was in heat and not in his right mind. As a friend, he morally owed it to the Omega to stay as far away from his place as possible... but instead, the Alpha found himself back tracking, towards where Alfred lived.

Matthew couldn't believe that Alfred was seriously asking him to come over. Memories of last week, the part of their conversation he had basically forced himself to forget, came flooding back to him in a rush.

Is this what Al had had in mind when he had mentioned that his status around his classmates would go up if he smelt like he had 'slept' with an Omega? Did Alfred know about his upcoming heat and had actually planned to call him over? Granted, Al did kind of have a record of sleeping around, but that was with other Omegas, right? And it was hard to believe that a renown 'Alpha hater' would on purposely plan such a thing.... and yet, all of his actions up to this point, including the most recent text message, pointed towards that the fact that, yes, that was exactly what was happening. But it couldn't be. Could it?

Feeling like an immoral cad sneaking around in the shadows, Matt ditched his things behind a bush and stealthily made his way into Alfred's neighbor's yard, heading to the back so that he could jump the fence into the other yard without being noticed. Looking up at the lit window on the second floor that he knew to be Alfred's room, Matthew paced back and forth a few time, silently debating with himself as instinct and logic battled it out within his head.

His choice was taken away, however, when the window from above was suddenly opened, and Matt smelt Al before he had even seen him. It was the most delicious scent he had ever smelt, and the teenage Alpha felt his pants grow tighter. Swallowing once more, he HAD to look up towards it's source. 

There, leaning out of his window, was Alfred, and even in the dim light, he could see the tale tell blush and the moist bead of sweat dampening his skin, signaling his current state. The young Omega was wearing a large white t-shirt that hung loosely even on his somewhat broad frame, and Matt couldn't help but wonder if, by chance, that was the only thing Al had on....

“I almost didn't see ya down there.” Alfred said, keeping his voice low so that his mother wouldn't notice. 

Matt heard him easily enough, though, since every sense in his body felt like it was on high alert at the moment. 

“Ya remember... Remember how I said, 'Showing up to school, smelling like ya got laid, would really score you some big points on the popularity scale?' And how I then told you that, that, 'I'd take care of it for you?'” The Omega asked, stuttering slightly as Matthew's own scent, thick, musky, and quickly filling with arousal, finally hit him, causing Al to suddenly find it much more difficult to speak coherently. 

The Alpha licked his lips at the question. How could he not remember? “I... I seem to remember something of the sort.” Matt replied, trying to keep an even tone as his fist clench at his side while his heart sped up. 

“Well... I did.”

“I...” Matthew began, not sure what he wanted to say, but then his distracted brain realized that Alfred had spoken in past tense. “Did?” He repeated a bit dumbly, and Al grinned before nodding.

Pulling his shirt off in one smooth motion, the sight left the Alpha breathless. Sure, Alfred had muscles instead of the soft belly and sides normally expected of an Omega, but it was hard not to admire the perfect body Al worked so hard to sculpt, especially when it was slick and shiny with sweat. 

The shirt was soon tossed out the window, and Matt caught it without thinking, only to have the soaked in scent hit him fully. It smelt of roses and the thick, heavy aroma of an Omega in heat. The smell was heady, and for a second, all Matthew could do was stand there, hands clenching the clothing, and breath heavily through his nose. “This... this is what you called me out here for?” The Canadian finally managed to speak with a little bit of effort. 

Alfred nodded again in reply before explaining. “Did, didn't take my suppressants right away, so that my scent would be REAL strong, when I jacked off while wearing it.” He said, sounding way too casually for the topic at hand, and Matthew's already hard dick suddenly became painful. “P-put on some of, some of mom's perfume, so that no one at school should recognize my scent, but... but yeah, you wear that to bed and tomorrow, the smell will catch quite a few Alpha's attention, and just watch the Omega's flock right to you.” Alfred laughed. “Nothing makes them want an Alpha more then knowing someone else thought that there was something about him, that was worth them being with him.” 

Matthew wasn't sure what Al found funny enough to laugh about, but there was an extended silence before he could speak again. “You... asked me to come here just to give me this?” He asked for confirmation again, in a deadpan tone.

“Heh... yeah. Why did you think I called you over?” Alfred asked, the sly smile on his face making it clear that he knew exactly what Matt had been thinking when he had gotten his message. 

The Alpha blinked at the question, and his cheeks, already pink with arousal, went full out red. “I just... just thought, that maybe, you might have wanted to, wanted to ask me to collect your school work for the week....” Matt said, eyes darting to the ground as he tried to make up a believable cover story on the spot, and Al snorted.

“Liar.” The Omega laughed again, grin growing wider. “Now get out of here. I got... things to take care of.” He finished, then shooed Matt away with a wave of his hand and closed the window before the Alpha could say anything in reply.

Even with the window shut, Al's scent lingered and Matt found himself reluctant to leave, a part of him hoping that the Omega would give into his own instincts, and would open the window back up and invite him up.... any second now... 

The kitchen light flicking on brought him back to reality, and Matt quickly scampered away, climbing back over the fence just as the door opened, as Mrs. Jones looked outside, checking for any unwanted visitors. It was better to play it safe, then to be sorry, when one had a teenage son that was an Omega in heat, after all.

Once safely on the other side of the fence, Matthew slumped against it and slid down to the grassy ground. Breathing hard, he then looked at the white t-shirt in his hands and swallowed hard as he imaged Alfred, hot and sweaty and horny, touching himself in nothing else. Licking his lips, the Alpha lifted the cloth to his face, took a deep sniff, and shuddered.

Oh, Matthew was going to do so much more then just 'sleeping' with with the shirt later, and if by doing so made him a horrible person, then so be it.

Meanwhile, up in his room, Al slumped naked against the wall, below his window, with his face hidden in his hands. After taking a few deep breaths and feeling more in control of himself, he pulled his hands away and folded them over his bent knees before tilting his head back and staring up at the ceiling, not at all pleased with how much the scent of an Alpha had effected him, even if it was only because he was in heat.

“Fuck. I so gotta get laid.” He grumbled to himself before crawling over to his bed and flopping down on it, spread eagle, to try and rest before his body urged him into jerking out another quick one. Reaching above his head, Al patted around without looking until he found where he had tossed his cell phone. Holding it close enough that he could read without his glasses on, Alfred then clicked through his contact list to try and find a few sweet, little Omegas that he could schedule some quality alone time with soon.


	10. When It Rains, It Pours

Upon returning home, Matthew had rushed up to his room, and had, indeed, done less then innocent things with the article of clothing provided by his Omega friend, but after his hand was sticky with his own seed, his knot swollen, and his body, tired but satisfied, the Alpha did eventually fall asleep with it clench in his arms, just as he had been told to do.

When he awoke the next morning, Matt felt rather sluggish. Absently he reached across his bed in a sleepy daze, attempting to pull the Omega his body craved closer, hoping to hold him after such a wonderful night, only to feel the cool mattress under his palm. Blinking more awake, the Canadian pushed himself up onto his elbows to look for Alfred in his confusion, only to spot the discarded shirt beside him. Flushing, Matt then recalled yesterdays events, and realized that he had been dreaming. He tried not to focus too closely on exactly what he had been dreaming about.

Sitting up in his bed, the Alpha couldn't help but frowned down at the shirt he'd be given. He had to get away from that scent. 

Grabbing the shirt, Matthew clumsily crawled out of his bed in nothing but his underwear, his dick already tenting his boxers out awkwardly and making it difficult to move around, and quickly made his way over to the rubbish bin by his desk. Throwing the t-shirt into it, he then tied the trash bag shut tightly. If Al wanted it back and complained about him not returning it, he'd just buy him a new one.

As Matt realized that he could still pick out the sweet scent of an Omega in heat, (of Alfred in heat,) the teenager wondered if torching the bag would be a little bit of an over kill, but luckily, (or unluckily, depending on how you looked at it,) he realized that the remaining smell was actually coming off of himself. Groaning aloud, he recalled how he had rolled all over it last night, practically dry humping the damn thing. Of course he would smell like it.... he was smothered in Al's scent. 

Vaguely Matthew recognized the fact that that WAS Alfred's plan... to make it smell like he had spent the night with an Omega.... but screw it. He was going to shower, because there was no way in hell that he'd be able to stay in his right mind, smelling that all day...

Grabbing one of his 'Al approved' outfits from his dresser, the young Alpha was about to rush out of his room and across the hall into the bathroom, (all the while praying to God that one of his parents wouldn't be in the hall to see his hard on bobbing embarrassingly in front of him during the quick trip,) but right as he reached for the knob to open it, a loud knock on the door stopped him.

“I'm leaving in five. Be ready if you don't want to walk to school in the rain this morning.” His father announced as he passed by the young Alpha's room, most likely heading down the steps to fetch one last cup of coffee from the kitchen before work. 

The unexpected announcement made Matt looked towards his alarm clock... which he had apparently forgotten to set the night before, based on the fact that he was, most certainly, running late.

“Fuck.” Matt said, because even though he didn't care for swearing, there was a time and a place for everything, and as he attempted to pull his jeans up over the tent in his boxers, since there was no time for a shower, the Alpha had decided that this moment qualified.

 

-o-o-o-o-o- 

 

The ride to school had been even more awkward then the start of his morning had been. Though his father was a Beta, the man had been married to an Omega long enough to recognize the scent of one in heat. An embarrassing talk about the birds and the bees, and growing up and responsibilities, had soon followed before Matt managed to spit out that 'nothing had happened', and had finally been able to explained that Al had just... returned his shirt to him, and that that was why he smelled like he did. 

Since giving a token of clothing that smelled of them, (especially when in heat,) was a common enough thing for an Omega to do when they were interested in someone, his father believed him, but that only led to another conversation about how he, 'understood that young Alphas had urges,' and so on, and so forth, until Matt was finally freed from the car, face blaring red. 

Pulling the hood up on his new zip up hoodie, (which Alfred had deemed okay to do, as long as he left it unzipped, because that apparently made it look like he had attitude, and not that he was trying to hide,) to try and hide his flush, the Canadian teen hurried inside.

Already late, Matthew didn't run into anyone in the hall, and arrived to home room only a few seconds after the bell rang. He received a disapproving frown from the teacher as he slunk over towards his desk, but it wasn't his tardiness that had caught the students sitting near him attentions. 

As he sat down, Matthew received an unexpected pat on the back from the hockey player that sat behind him. Glancing back over his shoulder, he saw the other Alpha, Lars, (Matt remembered the other teen's name to be, mainly because of the surprisingly long conversation they had about Tulips once he had found out that the Canadian used to go to the Tulip Festival every year when he lived up north. It hadn't felt like a very Alpha like conversation at the time, but considering the glare given by the Dutch man towards anyone who dare talked down about his beloved flowers, Matthew doubted that it mattered,) give him a thumbs up and a cocky grin, and beside him... two Omegas whispered to each other, then giggled, flashing him coy smiles when they noticed him looking their way.

Turning back around to face the front of the room, Matthew blinked, feeling a little dumb struck. Alfred had some how nailed it again. It was kinda scary how well the Omega could manipulate others. 

After roll call ended, everyone stood at the sound of the bell and shuffled out of the room, towards their next classes. As they passed by the Canadian Alpha, many of the other students also gave him looks, like Lars had, or made quick remarks about the faint scent of the Omega on his skin. 

While all of the attention he was getting was kind of nice, it was starting to get a bit over whelming, and by lunch time, it had gotten pretty old.

Having been invited to eat lunch with the group of Alphas he had played with at the skate park, Matt had joined them, but after only a few minutes, he had wished that he had went to sit alone at the table him and Alfred often shared. Hearing all the same comments that he had been hearing all day, Matthew smiled and laughed when it seemed fitting, but all he wanted to do was roll his eyes and sigh.

Yeah, it was nice being treated like one of the Alphas, but forcing out a grin while they talked about 'Omegas being slutty sex toys made to be used' got tiresome fast, and he could kind of see why Al didn't like Alphas, even if for the most part they left him alone because they were too afraid of that Omega punching them. 

Eating his lunch quickly, the Canadian excused himself, claiming that he had to hurry up and finish his homework for next class, then pretended not to notice the Omegas trying to get his attention as he passed by them on his way to the rubbish bins.

Even all of the flirting (it had taken him a while to even realize that that was what they were doing) was getting old and boring by this point. After dealing with Alfred's self confident attitude and endless energy, the rest of these Omegas just seemed... rather dull. 

Tossing his trash out and returning the tray, Matt left the lunch room and was finally able to let out the sigh he'd been holding back all day, glad to be away from the crowd for a little bit, and thrilled not to feel like the center of attention. 

Running a hand through his slightly curly hair, Matthew looked down the empty hall way and wondered were he should waste the remained of his lunch break. Typically he'd spend it talking with Alfred, (and he certainly had a few words to share with the Omega about this latest plan,) but he doubted that he'd be back anytime soon. Chances were, he wouldn't be seeing him until next week, considering Al's current... condition.

The idea of not seeing the Omega for so long gave the Alpha a vague feeling a disappointment, and Matthew briefly wondered if it was appropriate to call the Omega and see how he was doing. 

Pulling out his phone, the tall blond teen chewed on his lower lip in thought for a moment before pressing the first speed dial button. A call just to chat during lunch like they always did wouldn't hurt. They would just be talking, after all, and even if Al asked him to come over, without his scent to befuddle his judgment, Matt could control his urges and just say, 'no.' Heck, even if Alfred BEGGED him to come over and mate him, he could resist... most likely. Probably.

Bringing the cell to his ear, Matt waited for it to ring, then almost jumped when he heard, 'Canadian Idiot,' the 'Weird Al' song Alfred had so kindly picked out as the ring tone to represent him on his phone, blasting from behind. 

Turning around, Matt blinked at the sight before him and stared for a long moment is disbelief.

Why was Alfred in school? ...Within nose range of who knew how many Alphas.


	11. Up On the Roof Top

“Shit!” Matthew exclaimed in surprised, cursing when his brain registered that it REALLY was Alfred in the hallway with him, and not some delusion caused by lack of sleep and the smell of pheromones that his body had been dealing with since last night. Alfred really was right there... right out where any Alpha could see, or more importantly, SMELL, him, and Matt dashed forward forward in a near panic. “Al! What are you doing?! You can't be here....” The teenager Alpha started, ready to rush the Omega away to safety...but then his his nose wrinkled as he picked up Al's scent.

Alfred smelt of chemicals.

Raising one eyebrow at the other teen's reaction, the young Omega chuckled, finding the look on his face amusing. “Took my suppressant right before I called ya, yesterday.” He explained with the wide grinned that Matthew knew by this point meant that Alfred was fucking with him on purpose. Sometimes the Alpha really wanted to smack the guy.

“I thought I could, you know, get couple extra days off, so that I could stay home and play video games and crap, but Mom caught my scent, and as soon as she realized that I 'found' my pills, she sent me back to this glorious place...” Alfred shrugged.

“Oh.” Matthew said, feeling a bit relieved that Alfred at least wasn't dumb enough to show up to school while in heat, though... for some reason, a tiny bit of Matthew felt disappointed. The Alpha quickly pushed that feeling aside.

Shifting the straps of his back pack on his shoulder, the sandy blond Omega motioned for Matthew to follow him. “Come on.” He urged, just expecting the Alpha to obey, (which he reluctantly did,) and soon turned into a hardly used section of hallway. Following after him, with the Omega's scent from the night before still on his skin, it was hard for Matt to keep his eye's from wondering down Al's body as they walked. The leather jacket he wore hid hid upper body, but his tapered hips and nice ass were still in view....

“Lunch is almost over.” Matthew pointed out, trying to change the direction his thoughts were going, and he heard Alfred snort.

“You're an Alpha, right? Learn to break the rules like the rest of them.” He replied and Matthew frowned slightly. Considering that he WAS an Alpha, sometimes how Alfred always spoke so poorly about them got on his nerves.

“... Not all Alphas break the rules, you know.” Matt said blandly.

Al was silently for a moment, obviously thinking over his reply, when he finally said, “Yeah, well... not all Alphas got an Omega that'll kick their butt if they don't hurry up, either.” He stated, pausing briefly to make sure that no one else was around before opening the door that led up to the school's roof, and quickly making his way up the steps. “Besides, I haven't had a chance to eat lunch yet, and we still have to go over the next part of our plan, anyway. I mean, I was just gonna join you at the cafeteria and go over it there, but you were busy hanging out with those chump Alphas...”

“Alfred.. be nice.” The Alpha interrupted. “Sure... a couple of them can be jerks, but a few of them are pretty okay people.” Matthew voice went a little defensive. It was one thing to dislike someone because they did something to you, but it was rude to speak ill of someone for something that they couldn't help being.

That stopped the tough Omega mid-step, and he turned to glare down at the Alpha behind him before sighing and slumping his shoulders in defeat. “Yeah, yeah.” Alfred waved his hand, blowing off the statement since he personally didn't believe it to be true, but didn't feel like arguing about the matter. After all, the whole point of all of this was to get Matt to fit in, so him hanging out with those dick wads was, technically, a step in the right direction...whether he liked it or not. He guessed it was kinda like one of those animal shows, where they raise the baby lion knowing perfectly well they were gonna set it free in the wild, to be a killer some day....

Walking out onto the damp roof, the Autumn air cool after the rain, Al led Matt over to a somewhat hidden corner, having spent enough time up there to know where he was least likely to get spotted. Taking off his fur trimmed leather coat, Alfred tossed it onto the ground to sit on, then unzipped and dug through his back pack to get his food.

Matt spared another glance back towards the door, knowing that his next class would be starting soon, but finally sighed and went over to join the other. Was there even a point in pretending that he wasn't just going to do what the Omega wanted anyway?

Sitting down across from him and ignoring how the rain water seeped through his jeans, the Canadian jumped a little, startled when an opened, plastic contained was suddenly pushed in his face.

“I made some brownies. Have one.” Alfred said, shoving one of them into his own mouth (whole) to chew on noisily. Despite the other's poor manners, Matt accepted the offered sweet and reached forward to grab a chocolatey square, about to take a bite when he realized something.

Pulling the food away, the Alpha looked down at it with wide eyes, then back up at Alfred. “You made these?” He asked, feeling a bit surprised that Al had (could) baked. The startled jerk and bright red blush he received in reply answered his question. 

“They're just instant, outta the box, brownies!” The omega defended, puffing his cheeks out into a cute pout and looking away in his embarrassment. 

Matthew smiled, then took a bite. “They're good.” He said politely, meaning it, even if they were just box brownies, and Al's cheeks went even redder at the comment.

“Whatever. Not like I care.” Alfred snorted again, then quickly changed the subject. “ANYWAYS... how has your day been going?” He asked with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. “I saw all kinds of pretty little Omega buzzing around you, like bees around the yummiest smelling flower in the field.” Al teased as Matt looked away, a little embarrassed, then added, “So, which one do ya want?”

“Eh!?” The Alpha choked on his bite of brownie. 

Al shrugged his shoulders, and brought out his sandwich now that his desert was done with. “Well... that was kinda the whole point to all of this, right? To hook you up with a couple of cute Omegas. Or a couple of okay looking ones, at least.” He absently stated, as if it was obvious, then took a bite before continuing with his mouth full. “So, do you have anyone in mind? Whoever it is, we'll just set up a few 'chance' encounters that'll make you look good, and before you know it, it'll be the real thing everyone is smelling on ya, and not just some shirt I wore while jacking off.”

Blushing at the carefree mention of masturbation, Matthew tried not to visualize it despite the faint scent that still lingering making it a little hard, especially after last night's thoughts and dreams. 

Still, randomly hooking up with some Omega wasn't the goal the Alpha had in mind when he agreed to doing all of this. Sure, if he met someone who he thought might be the right person, Matt wouldn't mind getting together with them and falling in love, but the idea of just sleeping around to raise his popularity... Well, maybe he was old fashion, but it just didn't feel right to him.

“Look... Alfred...” Matt started, trying to figure out how to get Al to change his mind. Telling him what to wear and how to talk was one thing, but expecting him just to make out with someone he hardly knew was just asking too much. “I thought... I thought this wasn't about 'hooking me up'. I mean, I'm not being picked on and people are talking to me now... haven't we done enough?” He asked hesitantly, glancing down at the floor. Al just shrugged again.

“You're just the current hot topic.” Alfred explained, point blank, and that comment got Matthew to look up. “I mean, you were a complete and utter nobody, a big loser, -”

“Gee, thanks.” Matthew huffed softly.

“- and then suddenly, out of nowhere, you pulled a three-sixty! You're takin' different, dressin' different, and let's not forget the whole thing with Gilbert, so everyone's like, curious about what's up with you and stuff.” Al told him, and took a second to lick his fingers clean before wiping his mouth on his sleeve. “As soon as the next big fight happens, or someone gets knocked up, you're gonna be old news buddy. We gotta build your reputation up some, while everyone's paying attention to ya, so that they don't remember how lame you were when you're no longer in the spot light.”

Frowning, Matthew glance away, letting the new information sink in. Alfred frowned too, knowing that that look meant the Alpha had yet another abjection to his plan. “What is it this time?” He asked in exasperation, leaning back and propping himself up on his palms. “What problem could you possibly have with getting laid?”

With how bluntly the Omega put it, Matt felt a little silly having such sentimental feelings about sex, knowing that his views might be a little out of date, since much of the student body, especially the Alphas, were casual about it now a days, so he quickly looked for an excuse to get out of it.

“But... if I slept with someone, wouldn't they realize that I'm... “ The Canadian Alpha paused, feeling a little put off at what he was about to say, considering Alfred's view on flings. “I'm inexperienced, and wouldn't that, maybe, give away, you know... the whole plan?” Matt stuttered slightly and looked away.

Al opened his mouth to argue, but quickly shut it and just stared at Matt for a moment. “Wait... you're saying you're against this because you think you might be so bad in bed that it'll be obvious that you're a virgin?” He asked bluntly, then laughed loudly, pounding on the roof hard enough that Matthew had to glance at the door to check and make sure that no one heard and was coming up to see what made that noise.

Still snickering, the Omega reached up and pushed his glasses up so that he could wipe away his tears of mirth. “You may have a point.” Alfred relented, and Matt felt a wave of relief wash over him, even if it had cause him his pride. 

Matt then nibbled at his brownie as Alfred munched on an apple, finishing up his meal and looking lost in thought as he ate, probably trying to figure out what to do next, since his plan had been derailed.

The silence didn't last long, though, for after Al had finished his food and had tossed his trash back into the brown paper bag he had brought his lunch in, the Omega looked up at him again, and after carefully looking him over, said with a heavy, put upon sigh, “Well... then I guess I'll just have to teach ya a few things, huh?”


	12. Shut Up And Kiss Me

By this point, Matthew knew that he should stop being surprised by Alfred's actions, since the guy had a habit of surprising him all too often, but once again, as the Omega shoved his backpack aside and shifted onto his hands and knees to crawl forward with what could be called a 'leer' on his face.... Matt was surprised. 

Shoving himself back against the grilled air vent behind him with a soft clank in his surprise, the Alpha sucked in a sharp breath as Alfred grinned at him and moved onto his lap, straddling his legs as he lazily wrapped his arms around the other teen's neck. Feeling the Omega pressed in close enough that Matthew could feel his belt buckle digging into his abs, the Canadian clenched his hands at his side, unsure of what to do with them.

Chest to chest, crotch to crotch, Matthew's whole form was stuff and unyielding, unlike Alfred's, which just seemed to melt against him. Even though Al's current scent was hidden by a chemical overlay, the smell that remained on his own body, from the night before, which he had spent with the Al's pheromone dosed shirt, sudden became very noticeable to the Alpha. His mouth then went dry and his palms became damp with sweat as his heart sped up rapidly.

Alfred chuckled at Matt's reaction. Thanks to the pills keeping his biological urges in check, covering his scent, and messing with his own sense of smell, he wasn't effected by the other's sudden peak in scent. In fact, Al didn't notice it at all. “Geez man, chill out. I'm just sitting on ya, no big deal.” He said, obviously more used to physical contact then Matthew was, but apparently oblivious to how much the scent of an Omega in heat, even just the lingering scent of one, could really have on an Alpha, even a fairly meek one like himself.

Of course, Matthew could have explained all of that to Alfred, right there and then. Told him about how hard it was to fight his urges, and about the risks he was putting himself in by placing an Alpha in such a position, or he could have even just shoved the Omega off of him. Either way, had he done that, he probably could have put an end to all of this right away, and solved the issue with no real harm done... but Matt found that, well... he really didn't want to. 

Not when Alfred's weight and warmth had been exactly what his body had been craving since last night, when he had been left with nothing more then a shirt to cuddle and his dreams. 

Matt clenched his teeth as the memories of THOSE dreams started to come back to him, and he pressed his legs together tightly. 

“Come on. Loosen up. Pretend you got the Omega you've been waiting for all your life, right here in your lap... Are you just gonna sit there, stiff as a board?”

Matthew didn't respond to the other's question, only fidgeted some as he bit his lower lip and looked away, resulting in a sigh from Al. “Look at me.” The Omega ordered blandly as he reached to grab Matt's chin and force the Alpha do as he said. “If you don't look at your partner, they're gonna feel insecure. Like I keep reminding ya, you're an Alpha. You gotta be bold.” He stated, and when Matt still didn't do anything, realized that he had to take charge. Again.

“Put your hands on my waist or hips....” Alfred mumbled, eyes half lidded as he moved his face slowly in closer. “Not any lower, though...” He trailed off briefly, his breath moist on the Alpha's lips. “You gotta be bold, but respectful.” The Omega added, right before pressing his slightly chapped lips over the thin, sealed line that was Matt's mouth. “Gotta hold them tight, but ya can't just go groping them all over, not unless you want them to think you're just using them for sex.” Al finished his minor lecture before going in for another kiss, softly rubbing his lips sensually over the Canadian's, and absently releasing Matthew's chin to slide his hand over to cup the other young man's cheek.

Al closed his eyes, moving his free hand up to rub over Matthew's hard chest while he attempted to deepen the kiss, but Matt remained frozen and unresponsive under the Omega, in a sort of shocked daze, as his mind tried to make sense of what was happening and what he wanted to do, compared to what he should do. 

He was snapped out of it a moment later, however, when he felt a sharp pain as Alfred brutally pinched and twisted his nipple through the cloth of his t-shirt. “OW! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!” Matt exclaimed in a sudden shout of pain, shoving Al away (only a little) so that he could reach up and rub at the sore nub. “What was that for!?” Matt glared angrily and got the same glare back in reply, as Al moodily crossed his arms over his chest. 

“For not paying attention! God dammit Matt! If you want to know how to kiss and junk, you gotta freakin' join in! I mean, I'm doing this for YOUR benefit, not my own!” He complained, dramatically throwing his arms in the air as he spoke. 

Alfred tended to talk a lot with his hands, a distant part of Matthew's mind noted.

Pushing that silly, unrelated thought aside, the Alpha frowned, his brows drawn together in frustration. 

That hadn't really seemed like a good enough reason for the other try and rip his nipple off, and Matt would have told Alfred so, too... except that at that moment, the Omega huffed, ran a hand though his hair, and looked away with the cutest pout on his face... 

“So... you gonna fuckin' kiss me, or not?” Alfred then turned his head back to look him in the face and ask, before Matthew had had a chance to say anything in reply. Not that he really knew what to say, what Al kept saying stuff like that.

Actually, after a moment of thought, Matt knew exactly what he wanted to say, and swallowing to moisten his mouth and throat, spoke. “Okay.” He agreed, voice a little jumpy, but his previous irritation was completely pushed aside without as much as a second thought, though, considering the stuff that he dealt with from Al normally, with the addiction of pheromones from the previous day, it wasn't that surprising that it was so easy to forgive his actions this time, especially as the sandy blond wiggled forward in his lap, moving back to his previous position. 

This time, Alfred didn't have to tell the Alpha to wrap his arms around his waist. Matt did it on his own, pulling the Omega snugly against his chest and mimicking Al's kiss from earlier, starting off slow before urging the Omega to open his mouth for him with a gentle nip to his lower lip. 

Al gasped at the light bite, letting his eyes fall shut, but didn't complain. Parting his lips, he sucked in a breath as Matthew's tongue invade his mouth, and the sandy blond teen clenched at the Alpha's shirt, gripping the cloth in his hands as Matt kissed kissed him, giving it everything that he had. 

When they finally broke apart and opened their eyes to look at each other, they bother were short of breath.

Taking a few deep breaths though his nose as his breathing returned to normal, Alfred then licked his lips. “Wow... you really suck at kissing, you know that?” He said, as straight forward as always.

Matthew's face went even redder at the comment and he gawked at the insult. “Shut up! It's not like I've ever done this before!” He defended, embarrassed, and Alfred, being the kind person that he was, laughed at him again. 

Why did he even deal with Alfred? Seriously?

“Heh, don't worry man, we all gotta start somewhere.” Al smiled at him again, his face lit up brightly in his amusement, and Matt felt his annoyance slip away. That was why he dealt with Alfred. The Omega might be a rude, pain in his butt at times, but he always had good intentions in mind,(even if his ideas weren't always well thought out,) so it was hard to fault him too badly on his occasional complete lack of social skills. 

Plus... Matthew kinda really liked kissing him.

“Alright, so like... Kiss me again. This time with less tongue.” The Omega spoke up and Matthew blinked. 

''Speak of the Devil', eh?' The Canadian thought warily, but then again, a different idioms said not to, 'look a gift horse in the mouth,' and that seemed like a good enough reason just to go with it, so Matt kissed Alfred again... and again and again, well into their next period.


	13. Awkward

Matthew would never be able to think back to his first kiss and recall the moment as, 'romantic.' 

For what was probably a good twenty minutes or so, (the Alpha wasn't sure, since he was finding it difficult to keep track of time, considering the situation), Alfred had remained seated in his lap. Hands firmly on his face, the Omega had forcefully adjusted the tilt of Matt's head, wedging the Canadian's jaw open or closed as he saw fit, nipping at his tongue if it got too 'eager' for his liking, and taking the time to very thoroughly teach Matthew how to kiss properly. 

Luckily, Matt had always been a good student, and this being a lesson that he was most certainly enjoying, it didn't take too long for him to catch on, and soon he was instinctively seeking to control the kiss. 

With his hands absently kneading at Alfred's lower back, Matthew slid one palm up along the curve of the other teen's spine, feeling the slight bump of bones and curve of muscles through the sandy blond's thin, retro, 'Star Wars' t-shirt, (Al was such a dork sometimes,) and not stopping until he was able to knot his fist in the short hair at the nape of the the Omega's neck.

Pulling Alfred's head back slightly, the two teen's lips broke apart momentarily, and both of their eyes open and met briefly before the young Alpha took charge, instead of just meekly following along. 

A gasp of surprise was swallowed when, after breaking apart to steal a quick breath, Matthew dove in for another kiss, sealing their mouths together tightly. The Alpha's tight grip in Al's hair made the Omega's nerve endings tingle in a strangely pleasant way, a way that made it difficult for him to want to do anything but part his lips and allow the man access. 

As Matthew pulled the other closer, a small noise escaped Alfred, an almost moan that caught them both slightly off guard. 

Matt found that he liked the sound (a lot) and intensified his effort, while Alfred.... found it odd. Sure, Al had kissed plenty of people before, but he had never BEEN kissed, not like this, anyway. Not when he hadn't been the one fully in control. 

It didn't feel bad, not being in charge of the kiss, though.... but Alfred wasn't sure if he liked that.

Had it had not been for the pills that the Omega was taking to keep his Heat under control muting his scent, Matthew probably would have picked up on the other's building uneasiness with what they were doing, but with no smells other then his own arousal and the residue of Alfred's scent from the previously evening egging him on, the Alpha pulled the other even closer still. 

Rolling his hips so that their crotches pressed together closer enough for them both to feel each other's hardening members through their jeans, Matthew took advantage of the distraction by tugging Alfred's head back farther, and latching his mouth onto the Omega's now bared throat.

At the feel of teeth sinking slightly into his tender skin, Alfred's fists clench in Matthew's shirt once more, and though his instincts urged him to go limp and let the Alpha mark him, a sudden surge of fear caused his eyes to snap open, and he violently shoved himself away, hard enough to actually fling himself clear off Matthew's lap, and scooted back a few additional feet back for good measure. 

Startled at the unexpected movement, Matt almost pushed himself up to go after the Omega that was now sprawled clumsily in front of him, but Al's eyes were wide and his body tense, like he was ready to dart away at a moments noticed, and his body language made it clear, (even without the aid of scent,) that he was uncomfortable, and that knowledge completely drenched the flame of his arousal, bringing him back to himself fairly quickly. 

Thankfully Alfred was on the pill, of Matthew might not have been able to control himself. 

There were a few long seconds of silences as the two stared at each other, before Alfred narrowed his eyes. “What the fuck.” Was all that he said, but it made Matt relax some, because, despite the harsh words from the other teenager, he could see the tension starting to fade from the Omega's body as he slowly relaxed.

“I... I got carried away.” Matt admitted in a mumble, glancing away with a blush, and Al followed suit, turning his body away and looking off in the opposite direction. “No kidding.” The other replied in return, the silence returning once more as they stood around awkwardly.

Crossing his arms across his chest, Alfred wasn't anymore sure about what to do then Matthew was. Part of him wanted to punch the Canadian for attempting to mark him, because he was NO Alpha's property, but Matt's lack of aggression, as always, eased the Omega's irritation. Matthew didn't mean any harm, (he never did,) and if he was honest with himself, he knew that he was just as much to blame for letting things get carried away like that. 

What was had he been thinking? Climbing into an Alpha's lap, like that? Offering to teach him to kiss, of all things? Al was sure that his pills must have been wearing off or something, because that was the only way to make sense of some of his actions. He made note to check soon, and see how long it was until the next time he was due to take them.

Shaking his head at himself and huffing, the Omega let out a frustrated sigh as he raised a hand and ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to straighten it some. “Don't say 'sorry'.” Alfred then interrupted just as Matt opened his mouth to apologize, apparently knowing the Alpha's habits well enough by now to guess such action, and then rolled his eyes as well, when, under breath, the Canadian apologized a second later for being about to apologize the first time.”Look, it's no big deal. I said I'd teach ya how to kiss, and I did. Ain't no different then when I taught ya how to dress, or act.” Al said, trying to wave off what had just happened as nothing important. 

Matthew blinked at Al, and absently flicked his tongue out to lick their shared saliva from his lower lip, having mixed feelings about the Omega's reaction. Granted, he was glad that the flash of fear and anger he had seen in the other teen was gone, and that his friend was trying to treat everything like it was normal, because he really didn't want to lose the other's friendship over something stupid, but on the other hand, did that.... did what they just did... was it really so meaningless that Alfred could just easily push it aside? Had he seriously just been 'teaching him to kiss,' and there was nothing more to it then that? 

The Alpha could have sworn there was more to it, that Alfred, even if it had just been for a short period, had enjoyed his touch as much as he had liked his, and had felt the same feelings that he had, but without a scent to confirm it, for all Matthew knew, Al could have found the whole thing distasteful and had hated it the entire time, and he had just been too caught up in enjoying it himself to have notice the other's feelings....

“It's probably almost time for the next class... You should go, if you don't want to miss it.” Alfred commented before Matt could understand his feelings enough to put them into thought, let alone into words. The fairly obvious dismissal caused a pang of pain in the other teen's chest, but still confused, Matthew nodded in agreement, not wanting to stick around and risk making things worse. 

Moving to his feet, the Alpha kept his eyes down as he brushed a few dried, crumbled leaves from his clothing. “Yeah, I guess so.” He said lightly, and began to make his way towards the door that led inside, but not wanting to leave things how they were, Matt paused and glanced back over his shoulder. “I... have hockey tryouts, Friday after school.... Will you stop by and watch?” He asked Al's back, since the Omega was still facing away, not liking the way the other tense slightly at the sound of his voice, but then Al turned around to face him, his typically, wide grin upon his face again. 

“Sure! In fact, let me know what Omega's ya are interested in before then, and I'll try to get one to come along with me, and, you know, talk ya up some while we watch.” Alfred said 'helpfully,' shoving his hands in his pocket and rocking on the heels of his feet as he spoke, and Matt felt his stomach twist in an unhappy knot. That hadn't been what he had wanted when he had asked Al to come see him play, but the Canadian nodded anyway, feeling a little foolish. “Uh... yeah. I'll... I'll think about that.” He murmured, not sounding nearly as thrilled with the idea as Al did, and and walked the remaining few feet to the door, opening it, and finally descending down the stairs alone.

Alfred watched as Matthew left, and allowed his smile to drop the moment the other was gone. Flopping back, the Omega leaned against a wall of some storage shed that was on the roof, and pulled out his cell phone. Checking the time, the American teen was shocked to find that he wasn't due to take a pill for another two hours. 

So, why the hell was he feeling so hot and bothered, if it wasn't due to his heat? Frowning, Alfred then open his contact list and flipped the names until he found who he had been looking for.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Matthew took a deep breath of disappointment and stopped in the hallway a moment to gather his though. Reaching into his pocket, the Alpha pulled out his phone and checked the time as well. Seeing that there was about ten minutes before the next period's bell rang, Matt started towards the bathrooms, hoping to get a chance to splash his face with cool water and calm down some before the next class began. 

It didn't take long for Matt to find the nearest restroom, there being at least one in each wing of the school, and keeping time in mind, he opened the door and quickly.... walked right into the firm, unyielding mass of a large Alpha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again. Sorry that updates have been a bit slower recently. I have been writing several chapters ahead, to keep them coming quickly, but real life can be a jerk at times, and make it hard to try and find the time to write. Luckily, the next chapter is already half way written, so hopefully it won't take too long to get that one finished and posted.


	14. Unexpected

Stumbling back a few feet from the unmoving mass before him, Matthew had to fight the urge to look down, and instead made himself raise his face and make eye contact with the unknown Alpha as he apologized, (because, apparently, there was nothing wrong with being polite as long as the other Alpha thought that they might get punched, if they weren't polite in return,) and blinked in surprised to only see the person's chest in his vision. 

Swallowing nervously, the Canadian lifted his chin even farther, and it was then that he finally saw pale, violet eyes looking down at him. Matthew's own light blue eyes widened behind his glasses, in recognition of the man's size, and he tried not to stutter as he said, “S- Sorry.” 

This guy was huge!

The (much) larger Alpha then grinned and let out an eerie chuckle that sent a chill down Matthew's spine. 

“No worry, comrade. It honest mistake.” The stranger said in a thick accent as he reached up to flatten his scarf, but his scent was contradicting to his gentle expression, leaving Matt wary. 

“Ah, right. Of course.” Matthew smiled politely, and stepped aside to let the other pass... hopefully without incident. 

It was a relief when the light, grayed hair man walked by with nothing more then a nod of acknowledgment, then grabbed the handle to try and open the bathroom door once more, when an oversized hand pressed it's palm flat against the wood, holding it shut. 

Growing tense, Matt remained still as he waited for the other Alpha to make his first move.

“You know, 'Alfred Jones', da?” Matthew was suddenly asked, and not expecting to head Al's name mentioned, quickly turned around to face the other, feeling a wave of defensiveness surging up inside of him at the mention of the Omega. “What about Alfred?” The blond Alpha returned protectively, his eyes narrowing challengingly, despite his better judgment.

The other Alpha's pleasant expression and tone did not change despite the challenge from another of his type, but the anger in his scent did spike. Still, he did not attack. “Have you bred him?” The larger, pale man asked bluntly instead, once again catching Matt off guard.

“Eh!?” He gasped. “What? No!” The Canadian then immediately answered, his cheeks red. 

What type of question was that to ask a person you didn't know, anyway? 

Then Matt recalled that Alfred had worn the shirt he was currently wearing just the night before, while in heat, and realized that if this guy knew Al, then he might have recognized the Omega's scent, despite Alfred's attempt to hid who he was with a hint of his mother's perfume. “We're just friends... We sometimes borrow each other's cloths and stuff, but that's all...” He quickly added, not wanting any bad rumors that might involve Alfred, or himself, for that matter, to get around.

The big Alpha stared at him for a while longer and Matthew swallowed nervously again, pretty sure that he didn't stand a chance against the guy if he decided to fight, but then the stranger's intense scent faded, and the Russian lowered his hand, taking a step away as he did. “I see.” He said happily, folding his arms behind his back and tilting his head slightly to the side as he continued on with that creepy grin of his before speaking once more. “If an Alpha wants an Omega, he must claim him right away, before another Alpha does, and once claimed, if another Alpha dares to touch his property... he must rip out that other Alpha's wind pipe with his bare hands....da?” The light haired man finished, and Matt felt another shiver pass through his frame.

“Uh... yeah?” He answered uncertainly, and the strange Alpha seemed satisfied with Matthew's reply, his grin widening slightly as he nodded again, then finally turned to leave. 

Matt watched to make sure that the large man really was leaving this time, and was thankful when the strange Alpha was gone. Letting out a breath that he hadn't even known he'd been holding, Matt shook his head at the incident before finally making his way into the restroom. 

Heading over to the sink, the Canadian turned the facet on and splashed his face with cold water as he thought about what had just happened.

How odd was it for someone that he had never met before to come up and offer random advice about the very issue he'd been pondering? Sure, the advice was somewhat outdated, with the notion of 'claiming' an Omega being rather primitive based on modern view points, but Matthew couldn't help but dwell over what had been said. Maybe the guy, in a way, was right. If you liked an Omega, you had to go for it or risk losing them.

So, what was he doing here, moping around in the bathroom?

Filled with new determination, Matthew darted out of the bathroom and down the hallway, towards the door that led to the roof. Alfred had told him to tell him what Omega he wanted, and Matt was going to do just that.

With the ringing of the bell signaling the switch of classes, students soon filled the halls, making it difficult for the Alpha to make his way through the crowd, back towards the steps leading up to the roof, but Matt weaved though everyone, as fast as he could. 

Which wasn't very fast, considering how many students this school held.

Matthew was out of breath by the time he made it to the steps, but he didn't care. He was going to ask Alfred out, right then and now, the need for air be damned.

Grinning the Alpha went up the stairs, taking two steps at a time, opened the door that led outside, and paused to look around once he reached the roof, hoping that Alfred was still there. 

Sure enough, Matthew soon saw a bob of a blond hair peaking out from behind one of the metal air vents, and he quickly began to walk over, when the Canadian suddenly realized something.

That was the wrong shade of blond. 

Blinking in surprise, the Alpha then blush when he heard the sound of a low moan, then the slow, building scent of an aroused Omega, one that he didn't recognize.

Smirking slightly, Matt shook his head to himself in amusement. He guess that he and Alfred weren't the only ones that knew about this make out spot. 

Quickly turning to leave to look for Al, and give whoever was up there some obviously wanted privacy, the Canadian Alpha pulled his phone out of his jeans again, and pressed the speed dial number for the Omega he was looking for. Knowing Alfred, the other teen had probably skipped out on his afternoon 'child care' lessons in favor of a nap or to play a hand held video game, and when whoever was now up here showed up, probably went off to hang out in the near by woods, or something.

He wasn't expecting to hear, 'Canadian Idiot,' Al's ring tone to announce his calls, coming from behind him for the second time that day.

“Did you wish to get zat, mon cher?” Matthew heard faintly from the same direction that the song had come from, and quickly shut the door behind him, not wanting to hear who the person the unknown Omega was with.

Even though, deep down, Matthew knew it was Alfred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow... over a 1000 views and a 100 kudos? Guess this story isn't as bad as I thought it was. lol
> 
> So, what did you think of this chapter? 
> 
> A part of me felt that Matthew's impulse to ask Alfred out came too suddenly, despite the fact that I've been trying to slowly build up his obvious interest in Al for a few chapters now, but I figured with lingering pheromones effecting Matt's judgement, that it wouldn't be too unbelievable, especially since he's a teenager.


	15. Love Hurts

Matthew did not go to school the following day. 

Claiming to be ill, (because he certainly felt that way,) the young Alpha had pretty much stayed in his bed since the moment he had returned home from school, after the 'incident', curled up under the covers, unable to bring himself to face the Omega he had been so eager to see just the day before. 

The Canadian couldn't say that he was mad at Alfred for the position he had caught him in, because he wasn't.... not really. Al's sexual preference had been know from the start, after all... but part of Matthew had been SURE that a lot of the Omega's action around him were far more friendly then 'just friends' should be. The way the sandy blond was always around him, for example, walking to and from school, hanging out on the weekends, not to mention what had happened up on the roof between them.... 

Matt guessed he had been wrong. 

None the less, that didn't prevent the feeling of betrayal that made his heart ache with every beat. 

When Al had texted him, later in the day, Matt had ignored it. 

He had ignored the following two texts sent as well, along with a phone call and three more messages following that, before finally shutting the device off completely. 

Letting his hand hang over the edge of his bed, Matt then let his phone fall the remaining short distance to the carpeted floor below, and rolled over onto his side. Staring aimlessly down at it, the Alpha frowned, unable not to feel guilty about ignoring the probably concerned Omega who kept calling, (who most likely had no idea that he was the cause of Matthew's woes,) and with huff of defeat, shifted and leaned down to picked it back up.

Turning it on, the teen sent a quick message to Alfred, telling the other that he, 'wasn't feeling well, and that he just wanted to go back to sleep, not talk,' before shutting his cell off once more, and sighed heavily at the fact that Al had such control on him, even though they weren't even together.

Phone in hand, Matthew was reminded of previous day events, which had been playing on and off in his head since it had first happened. The weight and warmth of Alfred in his lap, the Omega's taste, the feeling of bliss when he had accepted his own feelings for the other and was about to act upon them, as well as the feeling of devastation at hearing the sound of Alfred's ring tone among the soft groans and smell of arousal.... 

The memory made his stomach twist, and the Alpha felt a flash of anger shot through him before dimming back down to frustration at the knowledge that the person that had bested him without even trying wasn't even an Alpha, but an Omega that he personally couldn't bring himself to lift a hand against to challenge his claim. 

If the stranger had been another Alpha, Matthew would have know how to deal with this: With violence.

While Matt might not be prone to fighting normally, instincts urged him to tear apart him competition, but the man had been another Omega, confusing his need to defend what was his (not that Alfred was his, but still....) and making the situation all the harder to deal with.

Sighing again, the teen tossed his cell phone back to the ground, then flipped over, onto his other side, and pulled the sheets back up, over his head, to hide from the world for a little bit longer. 

 

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

 

It wasn't until Friday morning, after his alarm had gone off and Matthew had stood up, only planning to make his way to the bathroom to take a piss, that the Alpha finally picked his cell back up to check his messages, having only just remembered the phone when his foot bumped into it on his way back to crawling back into his bed.

Picking up the cell phone, Matt grabbed his glasses from his desk and slipped them on before going over and plopping down gracelessly on to his bed, then turned the phone on and waited for it to boot up. Not surprising, there was a long string of texts from Alfred, though the sight of them did not make the Alpha want to smile like they typically did. 

Absently clicking past the notes that wished him well, as well as all the dumb, random thoughts and jokes Al normally sent to him throughout the day, the Canadian blink when he came across a number that he did not recognize.

Opening that message, Matthew realized that it was from Lars, reminding him that the hockey tryouts were that afternoon, after school, and the teenager groaned. Matt really didn't want to go to school... to where Alfred would undoubtedly be. Maybe even up on the roof, making out with who the hell knew....

Taking a deep breath to try and hold back the swell of emotion as he mind went back to Al for what must have been the millionth time, Matt's blue eyes flicked between his alarm clock and the text in front of him, before groaning and pushing himself back up.

Even if Alfred didn't like Matthew the way that he wanted him to, the Omega had clearly worked hard to try and improve his life for him these past couple of weeks, so it would be rude to ruin Al's plan this far in. Plus, if Matt pushed aside his depression, he had to admit, at least to himself, that he would be disappointed if the reason that he didn't get on the team, and had a chance to play with his new friends, was simply because he was moping around and didn't feel like showing up.

Besides, Alfred was still a good friend, one that he found he still wanted as part of his life, which meant that he had the face the other teen sooner or later, anyway.

 

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

 

Despite his previous decision, Matthew found himself avoiding his Omega friend all day. 

Asking his father for a ride to school, so that he wouldn't risk passing by Al on the street if he walked, hanging back to ask the teachers pointless questions about his make up work, in order to miss the bell and head to his next class after the hallways were clear, and surrounding himself with his fellow Alphas, (which he would also be meeting up with later, at the ice rink,) knowing by now that Alfred typical avoided large groups of Alphas like a plague when he could, were only a few of the things he had done to 'hide' from his crush.

As stated before, it wasn't that he was mad at Alfred, but every time he thought back to the roof, about how he had caught him making out with someone else not even twenty minutes after he had made out with him, himself, he felt physically sick to his stomach. 

Yes, Matt still wanted to at least keep Alfred as a friend, if he couldn't have him as more, but after seeing him, even from a distance, he knew that he needed at least a little more time to get past this before he could face the Omega head on again. 

Matthew hoped that, if he avoided Al until the start of the new week on Monday, enough time would have past for the pain to have at least started to fade enough for him to face Alfred again, and if nothing else, it should at least be enough time that the Omega should be off the pill, and then the Alpha could at least trust his nose to read the Omega's properly, without the pheromones of an upcoming heat, or chemicals, effecting his scent. Hopefully that would help Matt avoid any more obviously misunderstandings, like thinking that Al might actually like him.

Managing to miss the person he was avoiding for the entire school day, it was a relief to the Canadian when school was finally over and he was in the parking lot, putting his school stuff and hockey gear, into the trunk of Lars' car, who had kindly offered to give him a ride to the ice rink (if they split the cost of gas, of course.)

Slipping silently into the front seat of the (so clean that he was afraid to touch anything) car, Matt looked out the side window during the short ride to tryouts, absently making small talk with his, hopefully, soon to be team mate, as he tried to concentrate on his possible, up coming success in hockey, rather then his current failure of a love life.`

 

.


	16. Hot For Hockey

When Alfred had first noticed Matthew at school come Friday, already after lunch by that point, the Omega had felt like the Canadian Alpha had been avoiding him for some reason. A hour later, when he had noticed Matthew noticing him notice him, and then saw the slightly taller teen back track so quickly that he ended up falling, and landing on on his back side, only to immediately scoot away, around the corner, Al was then almost certain that Matt really was avoiding him.

Unsure as to why, though, Alfred hadn't chased after him.

Maybe he had pushed things too far last time that they had been together, up on the roof, he thought to himself during the middle of class, (instead of paying attention to whatever the teacher was saying at the front of the room.) Things certainly had gotten awkward afterward, after all. 

The teenage Omega hadn't actually meant for things to go as far as they had, that day, but thanks to Heat induced hormones, even with the pill, Al hadn't exactly been feeling like himself recently. Hell, he had even jacked off to the image of a 'certain' Alpha when the flashes of need had first begun last week, so it obviously must be the hormones making him act and feel so oddly around his only Alpha friend... what else could it be, after all?

Still, the point was, Alfred hadn't meant to make Matthew uncomfortable being around him. 

Being at the tail end of his Heat, to the point that the pills weren't even really needed to control his more 'intense' carnal desires, the Omega was feeling much more like his normal self, though, so come the end of the day, Alfred had made the decision that he had to talk to Matthew and set things right before things got too tense between them. 

Alpha or not, Matt was a good friend, and Al hated the idea of losing him.

Cramming his stuff into his backpack at the sound of the bell, the sandy blond grabbed his leather jacket off the back of his chair, shrugged it on, and slung the heavy bag over his shoulder before rushing out of the class, towards the location of the back exit, where he and Matthew always left from when they walked home together. If he was lucky, maybe he could catch the Alpha before he left.

Panting lightly as he left the building, the teenage Omega stood off to the side and watched as the crowd of students left, then frowned as their numbers slowly became less and less, and yet... still no Matt.

Was he still avoiding him?

Frowning to himself, Alfred wondered if maybe Matthew had sneaked out of a different exited and had headed home without him, and chewed his lower lip as he pondered if it was really wise to stop by Matt's place and check to see if the Alpha was there if the guy was actually going that far out of his way to avoid him.... but then he noticed someone in the distance, rushing to the student parking lot with a hockey stick and skates swung over his should, and it suddenly occurred to the Omega that today was the day for hockey tryouts!

That must be where Matthew had gotten off to. Well, at least that meant that he wasn't avoiding him....he hoped.

Not sure what to do now that the person that he wanted to apologize to wasn't around, Al remained where he was, rocking on the balls of his feet as he thought over his options. The teenager supposed he could just head home and call Matt later, on the pretense of seeing how the try outs went as an excuse to talk, or maybe he could just stop by the Alpha's place and wait for him there... granted, Alfred hadn't actually been over to Matthew's house yet, always preferring to invite Matt over to his place where he personally was more comfortable, but Al knew where it was and from what Matt had told him, he was sure the guy's parents were easy going enough that they wouldn't mind him waiting around.... 

Of course.... he had promised Matt that he would go watch his tryouts, didn't he?

Continuing to gnaw on his lower lip until it was started to get sore, Al made up his mind and went back inside of the school. His mother worked until late, so she wasn't home to drive him, which meant that he would have to walk, and his back pack was too heavy to be lugging it across town with him. Stopping at his locker to cram the over size bag in, the Omega slammed the metal door shut and jogged to the nearest exit.

Doing the math in his head, Alfred figured that if he cut through the woods, he probably could get to the ice rink in twenty or so minutes, if he rushed. That meant that he'd most likely miss the first half of tryouts, but if he was lucky, he could still get their in time to route Matt on when it was his turn, if nothing else.

Alfred was out of breath when he finally broke through the tree line almost half an hour later, the muddy ground having made it more difficult then normal to run, but seeing that there were still many cars in the parking lot, it seemed that he was in luck, and that the school's hockey team was still inside. 

Slowing down, (but not stopping,) the Omega wiped his sweaty face on his sleeve and tried to regain his breath as he made his way the final short distance over to the building, and let out a sigh of relief when he opened the door and felt a rush of cold air against his face.

The relief was short lived, however, as the stink of many Alphas compacted in a single location hit him only a moment later, and Al wrinkled his nose in disgust. He hated that cocky, aggressive, competitive smell of theirs... It was almost enough to make the Omega turn around and go home, right there and then, but then he heard someone, the coach he assumed, yell, “Williams! You're up!'” and Alfred found that he couldn't turn away.

Taking one last breath of fresh air, Alfred entered the building.

Inside, Al could see that there were about two dozen Alpha's on the ice, but the stands were more or less empty, except for a handful of people who had come to support their friend or family member during tryouts. Finding an empty section, Alfred took a seat a couple of rows up, and sat down to watch his friend play, and silently went over the supportive things he could say if the meek Alpha didn't get a spot of the team... 

In fact, the more Alfred thought about the possibility or Matt not getting on the team, the more and more the Omega began to rethink his plan.... Hockey wasn't exactly a weaklings sport. What if Matthew got hurt? Or what if he did so bad that he ruined his already weak reputation? Sure, there were a lot of spots open since it wasn't as popular as baseball or football, which upped the other's chances of getting on the team by a lot, but he had never actually seen Matt play before, and if you sucked, you sucked....

Alfred needed had worried though, for the group on the ice cheered a moment later, and the Omega blinked in surprised as he watched Matthew make slap shot after slap shot against the person currently playing goalie. The Canadian Alpha was good!

Watching attentively as Matthew took his turn in the try outs, doing short skirmishes and drills to show off his skills, Alfred actually found himself wiggling in his seat excitedly as he saw the Alpha checked someone harshly into the wall. 

Damn. Alfred hadn't realized that Matt had it in him to do something like that.

After seeing his friend play, even for a short while, Al couldn't help but grin. If the normally meek Alpha could play hockey like this, not only would his popularity probably go up, but there was no way anyone would think that someone that was willing to throw his weight around on the rink like that, wasn't willing to fight to defend himself as well. This was going to be awesome for Matt!

Since his last name started with a 'W,' Matthew had been the last one up in the line up, so after a huddle on the ice, and a conversation too far away from him to hear, Alfred watched as the group finished up and headed to the locker room together, to clean up and change before leaving.

Alfred couldn't help but notice that Matthew seemed to fit right in with the group of Alphas now... The Omega wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Having been too busy talking and joking with his new friends, Matt hadn't noticed Alfred up in the stands watching him before he had went to change, but Al didn't mind. After all, if Matthew didn't know that he was there, then the guy wouldn't be able to try to leave without being noticed.

Preparing to leave to wait for Matt at the exit, Alfred absently reached up to wipe the sweat off of the back of his neck, and it was then, with his focus no longer on Matthew's playing, that the Omega finally realized how hot he still felt.... Even though he had ran here, being inside of a ice rink, he should have cooled off by now... 

Standing, the Omega then paled and tensed as he felt a warm, slick liquid suddenly trickling down his inner thigh, and realized right away that the wetness he felt seeping into his jeans was not sweat. Quickly pulling out his phone to check the time, the teen omega swore under his breath as he realized that he was late with taking his suppressant pill, and that the amount of Alpha hormones in the air was triggering his body to react, even if his Heat was almost over. 

Tucking his phone back away, Al then frantically checked his other pockets and cussed again when he recalled that he had shoved his prescription into his backpack before he had left. Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

Forcing down a wave of panic, the Omega quickly looked around the room, trying to decide the best way to handle his situation.

The Alphas were out of sight, and their noses, out of range of his scent, so he was fine for now, Alfred reassured himself. All he had to do was leave.... but should he take the main road where there would be a lot of people, or risk going through the woods alone, when he was in this state? Sure, he could probably handle himself if anyone tried anything, and it was close enough to the end of his heat that, while he could certainly feel the stench of the Alpha's effecting him, he wasn't reacting to it like a needy slut who just had to be fucked, so it wasn't like he would just give into his instincts... or he could play it safe and find the manager and hope that he was a Beta that would be willing to let him hide in his office until his mother got home... but what if the manager wasn't a Beta, but an Alpha? 

Maybe it'd be best if he just waited for Matthew, and went home with him, like originally planned... Sure, he was an Alpha, but Mattie wasn't like all those other dick heads, right? He wouldn't try anything...

Alfred's pondering was brought to an end as, right before he reached the exit, a large shadow draped over him, and the sandy haired Omega froze as he smelt the over powering and disturbing scent of an Alpha that he recognized from years ago....

Swallowing, Al clenched his fist in preparation to defend himself and slowly turned around... only to have his heart stop when he saw the large, Russian Alpha that he had thought – HAD HOPED – that he would never see again....


	17. Holy Shit! You Killed Him!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Referenced Sexual Assault

Alfred had thrown the first punch. 

It did not catch the large Russian man by surprise, and he easily caught the Omega's fist in his over sized palm and held it tightly so that the smaller teen could not escape.

It had been that spunk, that fighting spirit, that had drawn Ivan Braginsky, the hulk of an Alpha, to the preteen Omega several years ago in the first place, even more so then the unexpected sweet smell of what, when looking back on it now, he presumed to have been the American's first heat, considering how confused the boy had seemed to be about his situation then. 

The Alpha's in Western countries, especially in the United States, were foolish. Prizing weak Omega's, who would easily break under any harshness, instead of the strong ones.... the ones who would kick, and scream, and even bite if needed, to fight off unwanted suitors, and would undoubtedly produce strong offspring once finally conquered, and properly claimed.

Squeezing the sandy blond's fist tighter, tight enough to even force Alfred to wince, the Russian smiled to himself. He had already conquered this Omega once, though the laws of this land had prevented him from properly claiming him at the time.... but now he was back, to rightful take what was his. 

“Back off, you fucker!” Alfred growled, baring his teeth at the Alpha as he tried to yank his hand back with a strong tug, only to have Ivan pull back, hard enough that Al was sent stumbling forward, right into the other's hard, massive chest. 

Quickly, the Omega tried to push away, to find some sort of leverage to help him fight, but Ivan already had his strong arms around him, pinning him against his body.

“Hello Alfred. It is good to see you as well.” The Russian said, tone lighthearted as it had always been while not fitting his aggressive scent in the very least, and it made the Omega feel like he had to throw up. 

Renewing his struggles, Alfred soon found that Ivan was much stronger and larger then he used, he also have had several years to grow and mature physically, and despite his best efforts, the sandy blond just could not escape the Russian's grip. Easily he shifted the Omega to his side, his arm firmly around him, almost like a couple would walk together, and forcefully started to lead Al out of the building, away from unwanted interference.

Dragging his feet and digging his nails into the thick material of Ivan's coat, trying to get at the skin below, did not help, it seemed. So Alfred screamed, making as much noise as he could. “Get off! Let me the fuck go, you fucking commie, fucker!” He yelled, voice raised an octave higher and his scent taking on a sharp, foul smell in his panic, and Ivan ushered him towards a back entrance, knowing that there were still other people in the building... other people in the building who would once again stop him from taking what was rightfully his. 

Heart pounding, the Omega tried to remember everything he had took the time to learned these past few years.

Self defense, kick boxing, the location of pressure points... Alfred had learned all of those things to protect himself from Alpha's, those cruddy people who thought that they could get away with whatever they wanted just because of what type they had been born as, and yet, flay and struggle as he did, the Omega just couldn't do anything. The Alpha was simply too big, too strong.... Alfred felt himself begin to panic. 

Desperate, Alfred clawed and kicked at the man holding him captive, trying anything he could to get away, and opening his mouth to call for help, but instead let out a half yelp as he was suddenly dropped to the hard floor. 

Immediately, the American Omega got to his knees and spun around, prepared to face his attacker now that he was free and able to fight, but at the sight before him, Al's eyes grew wide in surprise as he saw the Ivan's large body falling towards him. Quickly, he scrambled out of the way before the Russian fell on him.

Panting from where he he sat, Alfred absently reached up to straighten his glasses as he stared down at the motionless body that laid on the floor beside him, confused and shocked. What had just happened? 

Looking up from Russian's bulky form, to where he had been standing just moments before, the Omega blinked dumbly up at who stood there now. 

It was Matthew. The meek, timid, Alpha, Matthew Williams... standing there with a bloody hockey stick in his hands, breathing hard.

A crowd had quickly formed around them, not surprising, considering the commotion, and they chattered nosily among them selves, no one really sure what to do or say, but Alfred and Matthew paid no attention to them, both frozen in place, eyes locked, silently trying to register what exactly had just happened. 

Then someone, a girly blonde Omega, said, “Holy shit! You killed him!,” and everyone went silent.


	18. Past and Precedence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long to get out. RL issues. :P

It didn't take long for the police and medics to show up at the ice rink, and once there, it took even less time for the officer in charge to notice the faint scent of an Omega nearing the end of his heat, one who had foolishly left the safety of his home too soon, and obviously was the cause of the whole commotion. 

Holding back a sigh, the Alpha quickly had one of the Betas take the stunned Omega teen out to a squad car, before his pheromones could cause anymore of a ruckus among the already stirred up crowd. Without even thinking, Matthew went to follow after Alfred, but a strong hand rose up and grabbed his shoulder to prevent him from leaving. 

“I think we need to go down to the station and have a talk, boy.” The cop said in a firm tone while his co-workers handled the crowd and the medics checked on the injured, Russian teen. 

Pulling out of his grip, Matt spun around with a growl to face the man that had dared to stopped him from going out and checking on Alfred, ready to protest and force his way past if needed, but as he locked eyes with the Policeman's hard gaze and picked up his threatening scent, he slowly came to his senses. “...Alright.” Matthew answered, sparing one last look towards the exit that they had escorted Al out of before being led out a different way to a different car.

That had been the last time that Matthew had seen Alfred since he had been taken down to the local Police Station for questioning. Luckily, Ivan had simply been knocked unconscious, and had suffered no more then a concussion, but needless to say, the interview about his attack on the Russian had gone very slowly, with the young Canadian Alpha being too worried about his Omega friend's well being, despite their assurances that 'Alfred was fine', to really be able to really focus on what was being asked. 

Eventually the police were satisfied with the information that they had received and Matthew was informed that he would be released into his family care for the time being, but that they would be in touch with him soon, once they knew if the 'victims' family intended to press charges or not.

Matt didn't care about any of that at the moment, though, his instincts too busy demanding that he make sure that Al was safe and protected, which was why, despite obviously needing a serious talking too about controlling such violent urges, the young Alpha's parents had decided that it would be alright to drive him to the hospital to go see Alfred first. 

The moment that they had arrived at the hospital, Matt jumped out of his parents station wagon in a hurry and darted into the building, stopping only to find out what Al's room number was from the Beta receptionist at the front desk. In a rush, the young Alpha then jogged through the hallways, saying vague apologies to the people that he bumped into on his way, until he finally came to the correct room. 

Panting, Matthew wasted no time, flung the door open, and barged in unannounced. Looking around wildly, his gaze finally fell upon the wide eyed Omega, who was sitting on the bed and staring at him with a shocked, dumbfounded expression on his face.

Before Alfred could even blink, Matthew was across the room, cupping the sandy blond's cheeks in his hands.“Are you alright? Did he manage to do anything before I got there?” The Alpha asked in a single breath as he looked the other over for any sign of injury and sniffed at the air to try and catch Al's scent in order to help him judge the other teen's mood and condition, but was only able to catch the chemical scent of pills once more.

Scowling, Alfred shoved him away. “What the hell? Stop that!” The Omega snapped and crossed his arms moodily over his chest, his cheeks turning red as he looked to the side.

“Eh?” Matt replied, startled by the cold reaction before realizing how close he actually was to the Omega, and quickly backed up few steps to give him a little more space. “Sorry, sorry!” He soon added, waving his hands in front of himself.

There was then an awkward moment of silence, where they both remained where they were, shifting about uncertainly, until Alfred finally sighed, his shoulder slumping slightly as he let the tension slip out of his stiff frame. “No problem. It's okay.” He said with a shrug, and the Alpha took it as permission to come a little closer to his bed.

“So, um... Are ya doing okay?” Al then asked, his eyes focused on the sheets of his bed.

The question caught Matthew off guard. Having been so concerned about the other's welfare, he hadn't really taken the time to think about his own yet, so it took a moment before he could answer. “.... Yeah. I mean, I don't know what will happen with the police yet, but...”

“Nothin'll happen.” Alfred interrupted, and Matthew blinked.

“What?” He asked in return, not sure how Al would possible know such information.

Running a hand through his hair, Alfred sighed. “Nothin'll happen 'cause there's laws sayin' that an Alpha has the right to protect their mate. Even if they try and press charges, there's all kinds precedence that you can use for your defense.” The Omega said firmly, sure of his knowledge about these particular laws.

Matthew stared at him for another long moment before pointing out softly, “... but we're not mates.”

“I told them we were. Said that if you denied it, it's cause you were 'worried about ruining my reputation.' They were more then willing to believe it, considering how you wailed on that commie asshole back at the skating rink...” Al trailed off, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he recalled the memory, and finally looked at the Alpha. “I can't believe you actually decked him with a hockey stick! I mean, fuck! I didn't think ya had it in ya!” He grinned at the memory of the big Russian oaf falling face first to the ground, and Matt blushed as he reached up to scratch at the back of his head in embarrassment. “What the hell was up with that, anyways?” Alfred continued to probe. 

“The guy was huge... there wasn't any way that I was going to be able to take him on in a fair fight.” Matthew muttered his confession, and Alfred chuckled humorlessly in reply, nodding in agreement. Hearing an Alpha admit that he couldn't handle Ivan made Al feel a little better about his own inability to stop the guy.

The silence between the two teenagers soon resumed and they glanced about the hospital room like there was something interesting to see in there, the tension between them thick, when Matt decided to just Alpha up and asked the question that had been nagging him since this had happened. “Al... who is Ivan? I mean, there's some kind of history between you two, isn't there?” He asked, and Alfred paled a little and Matt felt a wave of sympathy for the Omega rush through him. “You don't have to answer if it bothers you, I just... Look, just forget that I asked, okay? You probably want to be alone now, so I'll just...”

“No, I'll tell you. It's the least I owe ya, right?” Alfred cut Matthew off, and for a moment the Canadian almost insisted that it was okay, that Al didn't owe him anything and that he really didn't need to tell him, but the Alpha's curiosity got the best of him, so he just nodded mutely instead, and waited for the Omega to gather his nerves enough to tell his story.


	19. Back Stories Aren't Fairy Tales

Alfred stared down at the crisp, white sheets that covered hospital bed that he was seated on, and took a breath, preparing to begin his story as he looked up at the Alpha standing in the center of his room, fidgeting and looking as lost and helpless as the first time the Omega had meant him. 

“Oh for God's sake, sit the fuck down. You're making me feel weird, just standing there like one of those little rat dogs that are always, like, nervous and shaking.” Alfred huffed, then kicked the blankets off of his lap, revealing some rather tacky, black boxers with glow in the dark aliens on them peaking out from under his bland, green hospital gown, before settling down, cross legged, and leaning back against the headboard, leaving plenty of room on the bed for Matthew to sit down as well.

Despite having sat in the same bed with the Omega plenty of times since they had become friends and had started hanging out, several of those times with Alfred only in his boxers, it somehow, now felt.... different.

Ever since Alfred had given him his heat scented shirt and had made out with him on the school roof, (even if it was just for practice,) Matthew was finding it so much harder to see Alfred, just as Alfred, rather then as an attractive, available, Omega, who about his own age, and whom he found he rather liked.

Still, Alfred was obviously trying to share with him a part of his past that made him uncomfortable, so the least who could do was make Al as comfortable as he could in the present, and if ignoring his own discomfort was what he had to do, then so be it. “Ah, sure...” Matthew replied, walking back over to the bed and sitting down at the very end of it. 

Unconsciously, the American Omega sniffed the air as the Canadian Alpha approach, his body craving the comforting scent of an Alpha he trusted, after what had happened earlier, but curled in a little on himself when the pills he had been given to suppress the remainder of his heat prevented his nose from detecting what he longed for. 

When the bed shifted, Alfred tsked. “I don't have, cooties, ya know?” The Omega huffed, glaring at Matthew until he shifted over, more towards the center of the bed, before giving a curt, approving nod. 

It was annoying when Matt kept a distance, like that. 

The awkward, quiet then returned, (AGAIN,) and the teenage Alpha briefly wondered if he should push for Alfred to continue, or maybe just tell him to forget about it despite his curiosity, but the the Omega finally began, thankfully without the need of being prompted.

“Okay, so like... I don't really act much like an Omega should.” Alfred confessed, sparing a glance up at Matthew, who, despite the mood, couldn't help but give Alfred an, 'No kidding,' look, which made Al snort at him and stick out his tongue in reply as he chuckled lightly. 

They both then offered each other a small smile before Alfred took another breath and continued. “Okay, like I was saying, I don't really act like an Omega, and well, remember how you told me everyone used to think that you were gonna be an Omega, cause of how ya acted?” He asked, referring back to one of their first serious conversations, and Matt nodded. “Well, that happened to me, too... Well, except backwards, ya know? With ya being and Alpha, and me an Omega, and all.”

“Makes sense.” Matthew commented as he absently fiddling with the edge of his hockey jersey, and it really did. Had the young Alpha taken the time to think about it previously, he probably would have guessed that something like that had happened to Al as well, but Alfred had just always been so straight forward about who he was now, about being who he wanted to be, damn what anyone else thought, that it hadn't really occurred to Matt to think about how the Omega had turned out the way he was. “But, well... what about Ivan?” The Canadian ask curiously, frowning slightly as if the name put a bad taste in his mouth, and Alfred rolled his eyes at him. 

“I was gettin' too that, jeez, don't rush me.” Al snorted, then shot Matt a look that prevented him from saying 'sorry', which got him a nod of approval. The young Omega had worked hard 'Alpha-ing' up Matt, so he didn't need the guy going back to being a pussy just 'cause he had gotten a bit shaken up. Especially not right after he had finally proven himself in front of a whole group of Alphas from school while at the ice rink. After that story got around, Al was betting that no one would risk messing with Matt again.

“Anyways, everyone thought I was gonna be an Alpha, so yeah, big surprised when I hit puberty and suddenly I wasn't fucking allowed to like baseball, and dolls were suppose to be fun, or somethin', and I just wasn't having that shit. I wanted to wrestle, I wanted to play sports, and I wanted to do everything that I liked before, but the people I always used to mess around with just... just pushed me off, like I was crazy for still expecting to be included.” Alfred sighed at the memory.

Thinking back to his own experiences, Matthew could relate. Being stereotyped into a role wasn't fun, especial when it wasn't the roll you were expecting. 

Matt would have spoke up, but it seemed that Alfred was on a roll now, despite his earlier hesitance, and was speaking again before the Alpha could comment, probably having needed to get this off of his chest longer then he had realized. 

Matthew knew he had felt better after telling Alfred, after all, it having been a great relief to have someone sympathetic to his issues, rather then just judging him for being different. 

“But even if they were being jackasses, I still wasn't gonna just go 'play house,' or whatever crap was expected of me, so I just did the stuff that I liked alone. Kinda lame, yeah, but whatever, it was better then doing what I hated just because everyone expected me to.” Alfred shrugged, pausing only to take a breath after his long rant. 

“So, anyway, one day I was pissed off, I don't even remember why now, but I was, and I was just stomping around in the forest that were near the house that I used to live in, fucking punching trees, and kicking rocks, and stuff, and I just remember feeling so frustrated, just so... so hot and sick and mad and, fuck, I didn't even realize it, but I had gone into heat while I was out there, alone. Hell, maybe that's why I was so mad that day, hormones or somethin', but fact was, there I was, alone in the woods, when I finally realized that I was sick, or whatever, and I was kinda out of it, but I had been playing in those woods since I was a kid, so I knew my way home like the back of my hand, so I wasn't really that worried...” The Omega ramblings suddenly trailed off as his shoulders slumped as his eyes fell back to the bed, once again refusing to look at his friends, and Matthew gut's clenched at what was said next. “But I guess I should have been. Worried I mean.”


	20. Omegaverse Info

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! Since this story was only suppose to be like... five chapters long, I wasn't originally going to bother and post a bunch of information about my version of the Omegaverse, but since it has gone on this long, and I keep getting more and more ideas, I thought I better post this to explain a few things in the story, (many of which haven't even happen yet.) 
> 
> I'll add more to this as needed, and feel free to ask questions if you want me to clarify something.

Pre-Heat: About a two week period of time before the Omega goes into heat, during which, he/she produces mild pheromones to attract Alphas. Mood swings and increase appetite is common. 

During Pre-Heat, Omega's tend to be VERY friendly with Alphas they are comfortable with, but very stand offish with ones they don't know really well. Due to this, summer time courtships are important if an Alpha wants to have an Omega's favor come Mating Season. Gifts of food (especially sweet and fatty foods) are preferred at this time. 

Alphas are very territorial when an Omega they are interested goes into preheat. During this time, if allowed, they will follow the Omega of their choice around nearly constantly, and would take any opportunity to mark them as 'taken' if given the chance, by biting and leaving hickies in noticeable locations, and rubbing against them, to leave their scent. Any other Alpha that approaches the Omega will be met with extreme hostility. 

Since sperm can survive for several days, it is possible for an Omega to get pregnant during Pre-Heat, just a lot less likely, but most unplanned pregnancies are a result of sex during Pre-Heat.

\----

Heat: The three to five day period of time in which an Omega is fertile, during which time, they have an extremely strong urge to breed and produce extremely strong pheromones that trigger's an Alpha's primal instincts.

An Omega's heat starts off slowly, the symptoms beginning more as an annoyance, but progressing towards an over whelming need by the end. Until the last day or two of their heat, Omegas are still fairly well in control of their actions. 

Alphas have an extremely hard time controlling primal urges when around an Omega in heat. 

\----

Mated Pair: 'Extreme' physical contact between an Alpha and an Omega, such as 'sex' or even 'heavy groping' during ' and Omega's Pre-Heat' and 'Heat,' causing a temporary, emotional bond to form between the pair. During this time, the Omega will crave being close to the Alpha he bonded with, and the Alpha will be extremely protective of the Omega. This state of mind lasts for about three weeks after the Omega's Heat had ended, at which point, if he had conceived a child, his hormones will have changed enough to alter his scent, signaling pregnancy and triggering further protective instincts in the father to help ensure that he sticks around to care for his offspring. 

\----

False-Heat: When an Omega is around the same Alpha that he has an emotional/physical attraction to for an extended amount of time, but are not 'physically intimate,' the Omega's body will occasion show signs of going into Pre-Heat, no matter what time of year, as a way to catch the interest of a potential, future mate. While rare, pregnancies can occasional happen during a False-Heat.

\----

Mating Season: Between late August and October is when Omega’s typically go into heat. 

Mating Season is the time of the year Alpha's get into the most fights. Omegas are more aggressive in the summer, when they compete for Alphas' attention, so by this point, they all pretty much know which Alpha's they are and aren't interested in.

\----

Gender: Male or Female. All Males (Alpha, Beta, and Omegas) have the same internal and external organs, despite their type. All Females (Alpha, Beta, and Omegas) also have the same internal and external organs, despite their type.

This means that both Alpha, Beta, and Omega males have a penis, testicles, ovaries, and a uterus, but only the Alpha can make sperm, while only the Omega can make ova. 

Female Alphas, lacking both a penis and testicles, are sterile. 

\----

Type: Alpha, Beta, Omega. A person's 'Type' depends on their hormones. A person with a large amount of hormone 'O' will be an Omega, and that hormone will signal the person's body to produce sperm, while a person who has a large amount of hormone 'A' will be an Alpha, and their body will produce sperm. Beta's have both hormones. Whether their body produces 'sperm' or 'ova' depends on which hormone they have more of. If they have about an equal amount of both, they will typically be sterile.

\----

Alphas: The most dominate and aggressive of the three types. Being an Alpha is all about throwing your weight around and earning respect by being tough and confident. 

\----

Beta: Betas tend to take on characteristic of an Alpha or an Omega based on how much of of hormone 'A' or 'O' their body produces, but not as extreme. They typically stay around other Betas and avoid Alphas just because they tend to be smaller, thus an easy target. They often avoid Omegas as well, since that just draws the Alphas attention to them, though it's not unheard of for a tough Beta to date an Omega, or an Alpha to date a cute Beta.

While Betas can produce sperm or ova, depending on their hormone levels, they often have low sperm counts, unpredictable heats (which often aren't even noticeable), and low conception rates. Miscarriages and Caesarean section are more common for Betas.

A Beta's hormone level can also shift if given the correct circumstances, meaning that a Beta with more 'A' hormones can begin to produce more 'O' hormones if constantly surrounded by Alpha's pheromones, and begin to produce ova instead of sperm, and vice-verse.

\----

Omega: Until the last few decades, Omegas world wide had been fairly repressed by society, due to Heats and pregnancies preventing them from being able to fend for them selves, but with modern day suppressants and conveniences such as grocery stores, Omegas no loner NEED an Alpha to provide for them, and more and more are heading into the work force instead of simply accepting the role of 'house wife,' though there's still a lot of jobs that refuse to hire them, as well as other hurdles that their type are fighting to over come. 

\----

Suppressant: A medication prescribed by a doctor, which purpose is to suppress the symptoms of heat heat by preventing pheromones from being produced or detected, and lessening their sexual drive to an extent. Most suppressants are suppose to be taken at the first sign of Pre-Heat.

Omegas are expected to keep their suppressants with them at all times, and going into Heat in public because an Omega did not have their medication with them is is considered to be causing a public disruption, and is against the law, and repeat offended could face fines or even possible fail time.

\----

Birth Control: Various method exist, but the most common is a Pill taken at the end of their heat that prevents the ova from binding to the uterus wall, thus preventing pregnancy. 

Since Betas don't have predictable Heats and have the possibility of impregnation at any time in the year, they typically use daily birth control pills if they are in a relationship, or morning after pills pills for the occasional one nightstand, though many Betas don't even bother with birth control if they don't have sex on a normal bases, since their Type have trouble with conception. 

\----

Knotting: After organism, a gland at the base of the Alpha's penis swells, preventing the Omega from pulling off before he finishes his full release. When surrounded by Heat pheromones, an Alpha's knot grows larger then normal, and can last up to thirty minutes, where normally it would only remain swelled for less then five. 

Only Alphas have can knot.

\----

Slick: A slippy fluid created by the Omega when aroused, to ease penetration. They produce much more during Heat.


End file.
